High Five For Friday

Friiiiidddayyyyyy! Oh how I have missed you so!  Okay, I've missed 6:00 on Friday evenings when I'm finally home from work for the weekend. Details.

What made my top 5 this week?

1) Remember the Valentine Blogging party I talked about in a post a few weeks ago?  Well I've gotten to know my swap partner via e-mail and this week I mailed her a package for the exchange!  Keep an eye out for my Valentine Blogging Party post on February 7th for all the details!  I had so much fun putting this box together and I can't wait for her to get it.

Snail Mail

2) On Tuesday Aaron had bowling and I was home working on, what else, homework.  The upside was that I got to have one of my most favorite salads for dinner.  It includes: lettuce, carrots, snow peas, radishes, an avocado, two cooked eggs and a heaping spoonful of artichoke hummus. Delicious.

Nom Nom Nom

3) We added this to our shared calendar on Tuesday. Eeeeeek!

 

To say we are excited is an understatement

4) I had my first Thin Mint of the year.  Why are these so good?!  I am yet to buy a box but I'm sure those sneaky little Girl Scouts will be outside of the grocery store this weekend and I just can't tell their cute faces no.

I could easily eat an entire box. No self control

5) Sweet Maya's face is healing pretty well from her encounter with our neighbors dog last weekend.  She doesn't really seem to be bothered by the gash and the neighbor's dog can't jump the new, higher fence, so I think we'll all be just fine.

Slightly less sad puppy face

I hope you all have an enjoyable weekend and eat lots of super bowl food even if you don't watch the game.  Let's be honest, we're all only watching with hopes that the David Beckham commercial for H&M will be shown again.  You know it's true. Go 49ers! (Sorry Ravens fans).

 

Join Lauren's Link Party Here!

Soup Weather

Welcome to Wednesday!

First things first, this tea......is amazing!  If it did not make me sleepy, as the name implies, I think I would drink it all day long.  After tossing and turning until 3:30 AM on Monday morning I was paranoid that I would never sleep again.  So, enter sleepy time tea.  I went with the wellness version since my throat had been a little scratchy too.  Wouldn't you know that after I drank a cup of this tea on Monday evening I slept like a champ and my scratchy throat was gone in the morning.  Yeah, the tea is awesome.



Now onto yet another delicious soup from Chelsey over at Clean Eating Chelsey. I actually meant to make this in the crock pot but in my sleeplessness I forgot to turn the thing on before leaving for work.  Ooops.  That meant I moved everything into a pot and cooked it on the stove for about an hour.



You Will Need:

I Quart Vegetable Broth ( I actually used 1 Quart of Vegetable Broth and 1 Cup of Chicken Broth)

2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes

2 Carrots Chopped

1 Onion, Diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 red pepper, Diced (I used a yellow pepper.  It may have made the soup a little sweet so you could always use a green pepper to tone that down a bit)

2 Cups frozen Italian green beans

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 head cabbage, shredded

salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and basil to taste.

I poured the olive oil in the bottom of the soup pot and then sautéed the garlic and onions over low heat until the onions were transparent.  I then added the remaining ingredients to the pot and brought the soup to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for one hour.

I'm sure this is crock pot-able (i think I just made up a word).  Simply sauté the onions and garlic then place all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours. Had I remembered to turn mine on I could have told you how well it works, maybe next time!

I hope you all have a wonderful day.  I'll be back on Friday for the High Five For Friday link party, hope to see you then!

Meal Plan Monday!

Hi there, I hope your weekend was most wonderful!

Ours was spent enjoying a rainy Saturday at home followed by some early deep Spring cleaning on Sunday and these AMAZING scones! It is hard to put into words how good these are. I only caution that you allow them to cool long enough to avoid scorching your mouth on the hot blueberries inside.



The recipe comes from Jenn over at Peas and Crayons.  It is super easy and you can find in on her blog by clicking here.  Do it, you will not regret it I promise!

I also spent sometime contemplating moving my blog from Wordpress to Blogger.  If it happens I'll be sure to let you know, I'll bore you with the details on this one later.

So what's for dinner this week?!

Sunday

Rosemary Apple Pork Chops with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Salad

Monday

Loaded Cabbage Soup

Tuesday

Single Lady Supper (Also known as fend for myself night)

Wednesday

Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Coleslaw

Thursday

Chicken Enchiladas and Spanish Rice

Friday

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup (this poor meal will get eaten!  It got bumped from last week, again!)

I hope you all have a great start to the week.  See you Wednesday!

High Five For Friday!

Oh my gosh it's here.........FRIDAY!!!!!!!!! Awesome.

1) Here is to the most perfect cup of coffee every single time!  I don't know how this little french press does it but I don't even care, it could be witchcraft, whatever.  Late homework filled evenings (t-4 months) and early work filled days has made this one perfect cup of coffee a morning necessity.



2) I'm going to be in so much trouble for this one.  After the events of this evening these two are apparently exhausted.



I'll set the stage for you:  I came home from work in the early evening to find that Maya and Marley  had an unplanned play date with our neighbor's husky. Apparently he jumped their fence into our yard and I have no idea how long he was there. I think he has a crush on Marley because A) Maya is way too sassy and B) She's still a puppy so she's an easy target to pick on.  It wasn't a big deal at all, I actually found it pretty funny after I realized the dogs were being friendly with one another and not fighting.  Regardless, they were filthy from said play date so baths were in order and baths tend to be an ordeal with our water loving labs.

3) I'm pretty sure I have these vitamins to thank for my health and my hair.  The chewies are a multi vitamin as is the weird green looking pill. The orange ones are vitamin C and the white one is vitamin D.  Since I've started taking these my hair has grown a ton and I've been in great health (unusual for me) so I suppose I'll keep at it.  Bronchitis?! Ain't nobody got time for that!  Please tell me you've seen the video.



4) I started the fourth set of Invisalign Trays this week. That means I'm 7 weeks in and only have 23 more trays to go!  Ok, the road is long but, I'm appreciating the small victories.



5) This is a ticket to my college graduation.  After all this time (6 years full time to be exact) I am finally going to graduate.  Granted this isn't until May, and I'll probably talk about it until I bore you to tears, but I'm just so stinking excited!



Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, Happy Friday!

PS: I really wanted to share this e-card but I was afraid the language might offend some readers so I thought I'd give you the option to view or not view.  Simply click the hyper-link if you are oh so curious, it just cracks me up.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Link Up![/caption]

Longest Short Week Ever

I think I say this every time my work week is less than 5 days, but seriously, this is the longest short week ever.  I'm not complaining, just stating a fact.  I mean really, it is only Wednesday and I've managed to eat even more of those cookies from Monday's post (somehow a few didn't make it to Aaron's station), burn the sweet potato fries I was having with dinner that I had been looking forward to since lunch, and sever the power cord to the MacBook in our recliner.  Did you know it's almost $100 to replace that thing?!  Oh please Apple, you have enough of my money thank you very much.  Luckily the best half was able to repair it so we're up and running, good as new!

All that being said, I'm going to share with you one of my favorite weeknight dinners.  It's fast, relatively healthy and really good (okay I'm probably biased on that last point so you be the judge).

Roasted Veggie Pasta in Pesto

I can't believe I don't have a photo of this.  Fail.

You Will Need:

2 Cups Penne Pasta:  I use whole wheat but recently switched to veggie pasta.  You can use whatever kind you like   best!

2 Medium Sized Zucchinis

2 Medium Crook Necked Squashes

1 Can Artichoke Hearts

1 Small Jar of Pesto

1 TBS Italian Seasoning

Parmesan Cheese

I also add asparagus but only when it's on sale, that stuff can be expensive!

To Cook:

Preheat your oven to 350*.  In the meantime, cut zucchini and squash into bite sized chunks (do the same with the asparagus if you are using it too) and toss lightly in olive oil and Italian seasoning.  Spread the veggies on a cookie sheet and roast for approximately 30 minutes, turning 1/2 way through.

While the veggies are roasting cook your pasta according to the package instructions and strain once fully cooked.

In a bowl combine your roasted veggies with the pasta and add the artichoke hearts.  Empty jar of pesto into bowl and mix until everything is coated.  Sprinkle parmesan on top and enjoy :)

I hope this mid-week day treats you all well, I'll be back Friday!

Meal Plan Monday!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I am fortunate enough to have today off as a holiday and am so thankful!

Did you know that this weekend, areas neighboring where I live enjoyed 80* weather? It only got up to 64* in my town, which is only about 25 miles away from where it was 80*. I enjoyed the break in the cold weather but I'm looking forward to the rain that is predicted this coming weekend.

Such a beautiful weekend at our home!

This weekend was less chaotic than most but still productive and enjoyable none the less. I woke up early on Saturday morning to make some Pumpkin Muffins and finish my homework. I'll admit, the muffins made homework just a little more enjoyable. Okay, muffins and coffee....details.

Brain Food

On Sunday I slept in. I do not think I have slept in since before Christmas so with the late nights and early mornings adding up, it was nice to catch a few extra zzzzzs. I also meal planned and helped Aaron rearrange our living room. We are both really happy with the new layout and I'm excited to have room for something near the entryway now. When I figure out what that something is I'll be sure to share!

I also made these cookies this weekend. I don't even want to admit how many I have eaten and that is why what is left will be going with Aaron to his station this morning.

 Monster Cookies

So friends what are we eating for dinner this week?!

Monday: Homemade Calzones and Salad. I'm trying a new pizza dough recipe, if it turns out great I'll be sure to share!

Tuesday: Homemade Chinese Dumpling Soup with Salad

Wednesday: Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Veggies tossed in Pesto and sprinkled with Parmesan
Cheese

Thursday: Apple Sage Porkchops with Mashed Potatoes

Friday: Grilled Cheese and Homemade Tomato Soup. We did not make it to this last Friday so I carried it into this week.

If you have today off I hope you get to do something enjoyable! I plan to grocery shop, tackle some things on the wedding "to-do" list, read and maybe even take a cat nap. Naps are the best.

If you are working today, I hope that your commute is a breeze since there will be less people on the road. Happy Monday!

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday and 3 day weekend for me, thank you very much Martin Luther King Jr.! Let's discuss my top 5 of this week shall we?

1) I am participating in a 2013 Blogging Party Co-Hosted by Lauren, Casey, Nicole, Ashlee, and Alycia! I am beyond excited about this. I'll be randomly paired up with another blogger participating in the party and we'll exchange info via email. After I've gotten to know my new blogging friend I'll compile a care package and send it their way. They will do the same for me, and then on February 7th we will all be blogging about the person we met and what they sent us. So fun right?! Oh my goodness I'm excited!

2) While watching the Bachelor this week I had a sudden epiphany in regards to how I knew the contestant from San Diego, Selma. When I was in banking I use to work with her sister. That being said, I'm totally rooting for Selma and I'm looking forward to this season, as always.

3) I did it. I got back in the gym and it was great. I ran three miles at a consistent pace, without my rescue inhaler or a side ache. Total success!

Day 1.........again

4) I can't help it, classic sleeping Marley. Will she ever become a lady and cross those legs? I highly doubt it.

The every night sleeping pose

5) And finally, check out how long this pony tail is getting. Operation wedding hair is underway, for once in my life the hair on my head has decided to cooperate at a time I feel is important.

Sorry for the mini photo but you get the idea

I hope you all have a spectacular weekend enjoying whatever you decide to spend your time doing. See you Monday!

Link Up!

They Call Me Grace: Me & Exercise

It's Wednesday and hopefully the halfway mark to a three day weekend for most! I'm using this post to effectively procrastinate writing my section of a group paper for school even further. We all know how much I

loath

love group projects, especially in classes where conflict is encouraged because "it makes for better papers". Excuse me, ARE YOU HIGH?! Whomever came up with that theory was clearly on crack. Ok, I'm sorry, onto today's actually scheduled post.

Exercise. Yeah. Let me give you a little back story first. I come from a family of relatively athletic children. My sister was really good at gymnastics and soccer, my oldest brother was good at baseball and my other brother played football, soccer and baseball. Then there was me.

I am far from graceful, my clumsiness has been a joke in our family probably from the day I started walking. That being said, I did gymnastics with my sister but I was not awesome at it. I played softball for one season but after falling ill, and missing half the year, I never went back. Then I played soccer. Let's just say that during a game in High School I had a clear shot at the goal. I was about 3/4 of the way down the field, just me and the goalie. My body got ahead of my feet, I tripped over the ball and tumbled a ways, loosing the ball to a defender...... in front of everyone. See what I mean, Grace. OK so I'm no athlete but that's fine. It does not mean I am not capable of hoping on a treadmill, going to a yoga class or even participating in a 5k right?

Enter stage left, the excuses. Like most people with an excuse I think mine are pretty valid:

1) I have asthma. This was a great excuse until I started being treated for it over the last 6 months by my allergist and can now breath free and easy indoors.

2) The drive. I can't bring myself to pay for a gym membership when we have a gym at my work. That cuts out weekend workouts because I'm not going to drive 50 miles to my office on the weekend for gym use.

3) Time. Oh there never is enough time right? But really, I either need to work out before work which means I leave home at 5:00 AM (which I did do religiously for about 3 months), or I stay after work. Staying after wouldn't be a big deal if it were not for traffic. When I leave work at 4:00 I get home between 5:15 and 5:30. If I stay late to work out and leave around 5:15 I wont get home until around 7:00.

This was normal

Here's the thing though, I really want to exercise. I feel a million times better after I do, it puts me in an excellent mood, it's good for me and it is something I actually enjoy. So where is this all coming from?

Last Friday was a relatively stressful day at work. I hadn't had a day like that in quite a while and all I could think about was how much better I would feel if I could just go for a run. Too bad I didn't have anything gym wise with me.

These shoes miss me

All that being said, I think I am going to work towards getting back into the routine again. I've been focused on keeping my immune system healthy which means getting my rest, taking my vitamins, eating healthy and drinking lots of water. I do not want to be the girl who gets every sickness that enters the office like I have been in years past. My allergist has said that moderate exercise helps boost immunity, plus I do actually miss the post work out accomplished feeling so I figure why not?

My first race after this long break is the Neon Run on April 13th. I've done races with my co-workers before and I'm really excited to participate in this event with that group!

Dooooo iiiitttttt!

I'm sure I'll be documenting some of this adventure on the blog, lets hope it makes for some

inspirational

entertaining material! Wish me luck!

Meal Plan Monday!

Hello again!  I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. Some of my time was spent working on the blog, have a look around and let me know what you think!  There are now contact and "about me" pages (links are just under the title/tag line) as well as link ups to my Instagram account and my Pinterest boards.  There's also a live feed from my Instagram account directly on the home page on the right side! The rest of my time was dedicated to getting things done around our house, completing homework assignments, relaxing and puppy sitting.  Aren't these two the most adorable house guests ever?!

 Puppy Cousins Brandy and Bailey

Needless to say we really enjoyed having my brother and sister-in-law's other "children" at our house this weekend.  They all played so hard and Maya and Marley had so much fun! They all were definitely worn out by the end of the day.

 

Puppy Sleepover!

Now, what are we eating this week?

Saturday	Pot Roast in the crock pot with potatoes and carrots
Sunday	Spicy Chicken tacos with Spanish Rice
Monday	Black Bean Soup with a Side Salad
Tuesday	Eggplant Parmesan
Wednesday	Crock Pot Spicy Cashew Chicken With Oriental Salad
Thursday	Breakfast for Dinner (One of Aaron’s Favorites!)
Friday	Grilled Cheese with Homemade Tomato Soup

 

What's on your meal plan for the week?

High Five For Friday!

Well hello there, fancy seeing you here, happy Friday!

My 5 Favorites This Week!

Clockwise from the top left:

1) We've had snow and we are expecting more!  Ok, I know this is nothing compared to the 14 inches we had last spring but there's something cozy about sitting inside and watching snow fall that I love!

2) I got my Invisalign attachments put on yesterday so getting my trays out is beyond difficult now not to mention the fact that taking them out makes my teeth hurt like the dickens.  That being said, after I got home from my appointment I needed a sore teeth friendly meal; this hit the spot and was so good!  The smoothie was made of 1C vanilla yogurt, two handfuls of spinach, 5 strawberries, 1 banana, 1 apple and 1/2 an orange.    It's the little things in life :D

3) I got these PJ's for Christmas and it has been cold enough for me to lounge around in them without getting too hot.  Sock monkeys + footie pjs = love.  No I'm not too old, you're never too old for footies.

4) Organic strawberries were on sale at Henry's this week and they are so sweet! Excuse the chocolate milk, it was not so awesome.  I bought the unsweetened chocolate almond milk by mistake, total dessert disappointment.

5) And last, but certainly not least, my little sister got accepted to USC's Doctor of Physical Therapy program. Look out world, little lady is out to do big things!

How was your week?  I hope you each have an excellent weekend, I'll be back on Monday!

Link up with Lauren by clicking here!

Month One as an Invisalign Patient & A Wedding Tid Bit

As of today I am 1 month down, 12 1/2 to go, into my Invisalign treatment.  Since I only had retainers as a child I suppose I can't say this for certain, but I'm pretty sure having traditional metal braces would have been better than Invisalign lifestyle wise.  I know each treatment option has its own positives and negatives, and since our wedding is taking place prior to my treatment being complete, Invisalign was the best, most coast effective option for me.

That being said, I have to wear them for 22 hours a day only removing my aligners to eat. Yes, that means all time spent eating must only amount to 2 hours daily.  I am suppose to only drink water and if I really want something else the aligners have to come out (which cuts into the two hours I'm alloted to eat daily).

Here's a fun fact about me, I'm an all day eater (ok, I use to be until 4 weeks ago).  Instead of large meals I tend to have smaller breakfasts and lunches with snacks each hour between meals.  This ensurers I don't get hungry and maintains my blood sugar too.  If I let myself get hungry I shut down, I don't function and I'm a total grump. Poor Aaron can attest to this.

Anyway, with Invisalign I've lost my ability to be an all day eater.  Right now I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and one snack between each.  It seems to be working out okay but I'll be honest, I MISS MY FOOD!!!!!! In the end though, having all things properly realigned will be worth it!

Before on the Left, After on the Right

Ok enough about all of that, onto something so much better: The Wedding!!!!

We've finally decided on a theme of sorts for our wedding, which has put me in the market for vintage books.  6o or so vintage books by October to be exact.  I know we can purchase sets from shops on Etsy but the more we can collect at garage sales and such the better!  If anyone has suggestions as to where we might find such gems can you please share your ideas with me! Here's an idea of what we're looking for:

 Can't you smell their oldness? Is that even a word, "oldness"?

Look at these beauties!!!

Thanks for stopping in, make sure you check back on Friday for my link up with Lauren and the other talented bloggers who participate in the High Five for Friday link party!

Meal Plan Monday & Weekend Recap

Happy Monday!  In some households the words "happy" and "monday" used together might be considered blasphemous; I woke up, am in good health, and have a job to go to.  That's reason enough for me to be happy!

It was a busy weekend around our house for me.  I took advantage of my last school free weekend until Spring Break in April (and Graduation in MAY!!!!!).  Saturday started bright and early at 7 with my sister coming over to have her hair done for the wedding she was in that day:



After she left I cleaned the house, put away the laundry Aaron washed on Friday, hung some more things on our montage wall in the dinning room:



Meal planned and grocery shopped.  Yes, I finally meal planned and managed to stick to my grocery budget.  A nice start to the New Year, success!  So what exactly are we eating this week (beginning with this last weekend):

• Saturday: Tinfoil Salmon roasted on a bed of lemons and seasoned with lemon pepper and butter.  Red pepper and Basil Quinoa with roasted broccoli on the side.  


• Sunday: Lentil soup with homemade corn bread muffins.


• Monday: Udon Noodles with Tofu and Asian Greens / Side Salad


• Tuesday: Egg Salad "BLT" wraps made with turkey bacon


• Wednesday: Homemade French Bread Pizzas with tomato and basil with side salad.


• Thursday: Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken with Grilled Greens.


• Friday: Semi-Homemade Mac & Cheese with side salad

I do not know why I have never had roasted broccoli before, it is so easy and by far my new favorite!  Toss broccoli florets in some olive oil then season with some italian seasoning.  Roast on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.  Enjoy!  If you'd like any other recipes from this week's menu let me know and I'll gladly send them your way :)

I also got organized, planner printable found here from the Jenna Sue Design blog.  Meals, Appointments, Assignments and Bills all in one spot.  I use the shared calendar on my iPhone still but I'm the kind of girl who needs to write things down and literally mark them off once completed:



I cleaned my closet and drawers, finally getting summer clothes put away to make room for the winter ones:



And made some English Muffins, Cornbread for Sunday's Soup as well as our loaf of bread for the week:



As the evening set in Aaron hooked my computer up to our TV in the living room so I could catch up on Downton Abbey via Hulu before watching the new Season 3 episode.  I am so obsessed with this show!



Class resumes this evening.  T-Minus 5 months and counting.  I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend and have an equally enjoyable week. Write to you Wednesday!

PS: I wrote this on Sunday evening and as I wrote it began to snow.....AGAIN! Twice in one week in Southern California.  I love the snow!!!!!! 

High Five For Friday!

Hello there friends and family!  New year, new blog layout.  Have a look around and let me know what you think!

Aside from the visual differences you may have noticed that the title of this Friday's post has changed as well.  Here's the story:  I follow a few blogs and two of my favorites happen to be written by Lauren From My Grey Desk Blog and her sister Kate over at The Small Things Blog .  On Fridays Lauren hosts a link party called High Five for Friday, you can read about it on her blog by clicking on the button below!

Here are my 5 favorite things from this week:

1) I picked up my wedding dress.  I took it to my Mom and Dad's house where my Dad saw it for the first time.  He said, "Oh Katie, that's beautiful, that's just beautiful.  You are going to be a beautiful bride Katie." Yep, I picked the right dress :)

 No Aaron, this is not it!

2) All of my books came in the mail!

 I can't wait to read these!

3) I received two milk chocolate macadamia kisses at my desk.  They are seriously so good!

So Good!

4) I successfully made my first loaf of Honey Wheat Bread with my new bread maker!

Success!

5) When we came home from our camping trip there was still snow on the ground and our cars.  The snow on my car hung on for my entire hour drive to work.  That has never happened, see NU it really does snow where I live!

First snowfall of our winter!

Happy Friday all, thanks again for visiting!  I'll be back on Monday with even more new things :)

Where Have I Been and 2013 goals?!

Where Have I Been and 2013 goals?!

Hello my reader friends, I hope you don’t think I have abandoned you! Needless to say the last 7 days or so have been pretty chaotic and I just have not had the time to write. Have no fear, I am back!

So where exactly have I been? Well, after Christmas Aaron and I ring in the New Year with both of our families and friends who are like family, in the desert. This trip definitely tried our patience between trying to shimmy our way out of the driveway with the trailer in the pouring rain, to getting a blow out on one of the trailer tires as we made our way down the grade (only minutes after I asked Aaron if we had a spare tire or not), and to the issues our buggy had (one gets fixed another arose). All in all we still had a great time, it’s pretty much impossible not to when you’re with so many awesome people.

With all the craziness that the holiday season brings it can be difficult not get a little overwhelmed although I would not change it for the world. That being said, I was a bit sad (okay really sad) yesterday when I finally accepted the fact that the holiday season was over. Pity Party done, here are some photos from our holiday/camping time:

Maya was rather cozy sleeping on our bed in the trailer

 These things are terrifying

We had beautiful daytime weather@

Christmas Eve (please ignore the fake cat on my shoulder)

Now onto my 2013 goals. I’m not one to make resolutions; I think there is way too much pressure associated with the term so I set goals instead. Attainable goals, no one intentionally sets themselves up for failure right?! Here are mine:

• Graduate from college on Thursday, May 30, 2013


• Marry my best friend and become a Mrs. on Saturday, October 26^th, 2013


• Read at least one book a month for enjoyment (not school!)


• Master the art of meal planning


• Work towards expanding my blog

 

And finally, I want to thank each and every person who has come to read my blog, supported my aspirations and cheered me on from cyber space. I cannot wait to share what 2013 has to offer here on the blog and document life as it unfolds. Happy New Year all, here's to making 2013 your best year yet!