tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36890227365415132902024-03-04T20:39:30.299-08:00the cabbage patchlife. kapusta style.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-90977486346188365912013-06-09T13:02:00.002-07:002013-06-09T13:11:48.611-07:00hola Mexico!Two weeks ago, our long awaited vacation had finally arrived! This getaway was to celebrate all of our milestones this past year with John finishing his Master's degree, our 30th birthdays, our 3 year wedding anniversary, and just to take a break from it all for more than few days. <br />
<em>Truthfully, after being back to reality now for a week, I'm ready for another vacation!</em><br />
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This was about a year in the making when John's parents and close family friends, Laura and Joe told us that they were planning a trip to an adults only, all-inclusive resort in Mexico and asked if we wanted to join. I'm always up for traveling regardless of where it is but John seems to only get excited if there is fishing involved so he did a little research and sure enough confirmed there would be deep sea fishing options available close by so we booked our trip! The time leading up to this trip seemed to take forever, but finally it was here!<br />
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We were a little nervous since this would require being away from our spoiled pup Izzy for a week. We looked into boarding her, but lucked out when John's cousin and girlfriend offered to watch her. After threatening their lives if anything bad happened to her, we felt pretty confident that she would be in the very best of hands while we were away.<br />
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So <span style="color: #0b5394;">Thursday, May 23rd</span> we were off to Mexico and ready to relax! Our flight was at 6am so there really was not much sleeping the night before since I was still over-packing our suitcases until late. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not the best packer - I bring my entire wardrobe because I can't decide on what to bring, so I just bring it all. Well sure enough my suitcase tipped the scale at 51 lbs, but when it was leaning slightly forward it was 50 lbs (the max) so they let it go. Whew! I wasn't paying extra! John made sure to use that opportunity to inform me that that meant I could not buy anything on our trip since we didn't have a lb to spare!<br />
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Thursday was a long day of traveling and while I fully intended to sleep on the plane, I forgot my travel pillow and could not get comfortable so I ended up downloading 'Candy Crush' on my iPad to see what all the hype was about it and so the addiction began. I'll just come clean about this now that of the 3 books I downloaded and fully intended to read on this vacation, not a single page was read, but I did beat 30 levels of Candy Crush. sweet!<br />
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When we arrived at our hotel <a href="http://www.realresorts.com/The-Royal-Playa-Carmen/" target="_blank">The Royale Playa del Carmen</a>, it was beautiful!! When we checked in they provided you with cold towels and champagne and then escorted you to your room. This is what was behind door number 236:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, there is a small pool (aka Jacuzzi) in each room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could pick your pillows, I opted for 2 of each kind they had. <br />
Why not?</td></tr>
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But the BEST part of Room 236 was the view:<br />
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It was GORGEOUS! and even better yet, there was a hammock on our balcony, which was so relaxing! <span style="color: #a64d79;">Note to self: must get a hammock once we have a yard, preferably with a view like this.</span><br />
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We were pretty exhausted after traveling all day and laid down to take a nap annnnd ended up waking up around 10pm. Whoops, oh well. No where we had to be and the pool will still be waiting for us in the morning!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqVYx0_NELtFCsC2kKXTWbj2r-564hc4jNpX2GXboBjFns_VWxxQDAQMJQ8ejB509U56cCMB5LBZLDsPSCnVwPeGF3gsdI1OOyxaBbWF-HsI7tzEf_nt8UsfmdwPPqSvNztUDtFyGePCg/s1600/IMG_3643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqVYx0_NELtFCsC2kKXTWbj2r-564hc4jNpX2GXboBjFns_VWxxQDAQMJQ8ejB509U56cCMB5LBZLDsPSCnVwPeGF3gsdI1OOyxaBbWF-HsI7tzEf_nt8UsfmdwPPqSvNztUDtFyGePCg/s320/IMG_3643.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #674ea7;">Friday, May 24th</span> after about 12 hours of sleep, we were really rested to spend the entire day at the pool. Pittsburgh sunshine really had not prepped us for the Mexico sun and despite slathering on a ton of SPF we knew the burn would be coming later and sure enough it did. <br />
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That night there was a Penguins play off game and we were not missing that! We put our Pens gear on and sure enough within 10 minutes of sitting in the lobby bar, we are approached by a fellow yinzer who's daughter was getting married at the resort that weekend. So us and 10 other Pittsburghers found a local sports bar 'Legends' and talk the owner into playing the game on their huge projection screen. It was awesome! Go figure, one of the couples lives right down the road from John and I. <br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;">Saturday, May 25th</span> John woke up super early to go deep sea fishing with his Dad. I slept in with the entire king size bed to myself (amazing!) and then went to the spa with the girls (& Joe!) I had an awesome massage by a little Mexican dude, then it was back to the pool for some more Mojitos! <br />
Things took a slight downward turn that day when John returned early and said his Dad got very sea sick on their fishing trip so they had to come back early. I knew he was pretty bummed because he wanted to catch a huge fish to have it mounted on the wall alongside his lovely blue marlin.<br />
That evening we went to Maria Marie's, which was one of the restaurants within the resorts and had a yummy steak dinner.<br />
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Sunday, May 26th we went on an ATV jungle tour with Laura and Joe. I had driven ATVs in Aruba last year and it was so cool to see places that you could not easily get to by car. This time we cruised through the jungle, even had a spider monkey swoop above us in the trees! We saw a <a href="http://www.playamayanews.com/area_info/cenotes_the_sacred_waters_of_the_riviera_maya.html" target="_blank">cenote</a>, which I had no clue what that was until this trip and even though I was extremely nervous, jumped in and went swimming with the fish, because seriously, when will I ever get to do this again?! After swimming we jumped back on the ATVs and then explored a cave that was filled with bats! ick!!!<br />
This is what the cenote looked like: <br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Monday, May 27th</span> John had another fishing trip booked this day and was ready to cancel it since he didn't feel his Dad would be up to venturing out again in the rough waters. Knowing that I would hear about missing out on this until the end of time, I decided to go with him. I was actually really happy I did. We were greeted at the marina by our captain and first mate and then sailed off. It was within 30 minutes of being at sea that we got our first bite and they went wild screaming that "it's a blue marlin!! and it's a monster!!" I had never gone deep sea fishing before so I had no idea what to do, but apparently there is no time to learn like the present. They tell you to get in the seat, they strap you in and just start reeling!!! Within a few minutes my arms felt like jelly, this fish was strong!!!<br />
John and I took turns reeling this monster in for two hours! It would occasionally surface so we could see it's fin and as it came closer to the boat, we could see it under the water. They said it was at least 350 lbs and had to break the news to me that there was no way they could lift that fish up for a picture and would need to cut the line to free him. It was pretty exciting, none the less but I really wish I had a good picture of it. Now my expectations were set pretty high for catching more -- next was a white marlin which John really, really wanted to bring in but the line snapped about 30 minutes into the catch. Later on, we caught a Wahoo, which was so pretty to see in the clear water, but unfortunately that one escaped the line as soon as we got close enough to the boat, and then lastly was a mackrell which we did get onto the boat. So while we had a great trip, John did not the white marlin or wahoo into the boat to get measurements to get them mounted for the wall (secretly I may have been OK with that)<br />
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Poor planning on our part but that night we had bought tickets to a club/show called <a href="http://www.cocobongo.com.mx/" target="_blank">Coco Bongo</a>. We had heard awesome reviews about it and figured 'why not?!' we splurged and bought the VIP tickets and we were so glad we did! After spending all day on the boat, our bodies had enough and having our own table with seats was much needed! The show was incredible. Basically, it's 3 1/2 hours of dancers, singers, acrobats doing performances to all different types of songs (old and new). I highly recommend it to anyone that is going to Cancun or Playa del Carmen. It kept us awake until 3am which says a lot since we were up so early that day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JRj7OX7ofA1M9pq_a7U00yWs2bdinedK4s_4Zzv5os_c6dt-c9mrUFbya1wCsClzhyphenhyphenhWSgiEleVy8P9dTuyeJf4yHUB5pVDIXYGxr_cEFGSdKs8pFy-08w_2nror8PfXgkGje0Y6xrsH/s1600/IMG_3731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9JRj7OX7ofA1M9pq_a7U00yWs2bdinedK4s_4Zzv5os_c6dt-c9mrUFbya1wCsClzhyphenhyphenhWSgiEleVy8P9dTuyeJf4yHUB5pVDIXYGxr_cEFGSdKs8pFy-08w_2nror8PfXgkGje0Y6xrsH/s320/IMG_3731.JPG" width="240" /></a> <span style="color: #e69138;">Tuesday, May 28th</span> was our last day and who knew that it rains in paradise?! Well it does and rainy days = shopping! Where our resort was located was very convenient to downtown Playa del Carmen and Fifth Avenue which has lots of stores. We spent the day walking through the shops and being heckled by the Mexican shop owners. Here are two of my favorites: </div>
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"<em>Hey! You two! are you honeymooners or just messing around?"</em></div>
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<em>"Hola senorita, come into my shop. My boss is not here. I give you 40% off AND a free shot of tequila!"</em></div>
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In the afternoon, we checked out the game room at the resort and fired up a pretty intense game of Ping Pong! I think we'll also be needing a Ping Pong table when we get our house some day.</div>
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That night we had a delicious dinner and were serenaded by a mariachi band, what a delightful ending to our trip!</div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">Wednesday, May 29th</span> reality set in that vacation was over and it was time to head home. We said our "Adios to Mexico" and "Hello to Pittsburgh". And while it always stinks for vacation to come to an end, there is something comforting about coming back home. </div>
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Also, we learned that Izzy had herself an entire box of Milkbone treats in the 6 days we were gone, she also wants everyone to know that she had herself a great vacation too!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-36241714739298534602013-04-10T16:43:00.001-07:002013-04-10T16:43:27.875-07:00IzzerciseIzzy our puggle loves food, and by love I mean <u><strong>obsessed</strong></u> with it. <br />
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My day starts every morning with her pawing at me, lately around 3:30am (this needs to stop) wanting to eat breakfast. If I say no, the pawing grows progressively worse until she is literally digging into the covers pulling them off of me and I give in.<br />
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<em>By the way, I find it strange that she never does this to John when I am not here, or maybe he has amazing sleep power to sleep through it...</em><br />
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We go downstairs, I feed her, she goes potty and sprints back up to bed. She falls right back to sleep and I am left thinking about random thoughts and soon enough just when I start drifting into dreamland... the alarm goes off. Grrr...<br />
The puggle princess sleeps until about noon, then she decides to get out of bed and begs at my feet while I'm working until I give her a treat, then it's back to bed for another nap until around 3:00pm. At this point, she's waiting by her food bowl pawing at the container where we keep her food wanting dinner. She's actually figured out how to open the container, and there have been a few times we've caught her eating directly out of it. If we did not catch her, I'm sure she would eat the entire thing.<br />
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If I don't feed her then, she will continue to beg at my feet until I do. Despite how hard I try to ignore her, I cannot get anything done with her pawing at my leg or the door if I decide to lock her out of the office. Fine, you want dinner at 3:30? you have it.<br />
While we're cooking dinner, she's at our feet quickly snatching up whatever may fall on the floor. I find myself actually complaining when she is not there and I have to actually lean over and pick it up!<br />
While we are eating, she is waiting right by the table for any chance that she may get a taste of what we're having.<br />
I have only found a couple foods that have dropped on the floor that she ignores... celery and fresh mushrooms. Cooked mushrooms are fine though.<br />
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I know that we've created this food monster and continue to support her bad habits because it seems easier than trying to break them. <br />
So given her love of food and the fact that she's got the stocky pug genes, she needs exercise. As much as I would love to be able to get her outside and on a walk everyday, it's not always possible with our schedules and the weather, so we've developed a work out routine called <span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Izzercise.</strong></span><br />
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We started by cutting her dog food dinner portion in half. There is food involved with her work out, so we don't want this to counteract the point of exercising in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">small portion of carrots</td></tr>
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We take a variety of fruits and vegetables - typically carrots, apples and depending what we have in the fridge (cucumbers, peas, green pepper) chop into small pieces. I would say maybe 1/4 cup. The stairs in our townhouse are split so we are able to stand at the top of the stairs and drop directly down, but I'm you could do it from the top of a regular stair case and throw down to the bottom. I stand at the top of the steps with her, and then I tell her to "Go!" as we drop the piece of food. She sprints down to the bottom of the steps and back up again before I tell her to "Go" and drop another piece of food. <br />
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About half way through she is really panting and stops to grab some water before we continue on. <br />
When there are about 10 pieces of food left left we then move into puppy push ups. This is a combination of a sit, lay down, sit, and then rewarded with a piece of food.<br />
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She's dropped a couple pounds since we started this routine and she loves doing it because food is involved! <br />
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By the time we reach the end she is exhausted and usually doesn't beg for food again, until 3:30 the next morning :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-7966767228115796912013-03-27T18:30:00.001-07:002013-03-27T18:30:24.820-07:00to buy or to buildSheesh, where have ya been?! <br />
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Sorry for the long break in blog posts. I could come up with a million excuses but I'll save you from the complaining and just sum it up with <strong>"I've been too dang busy!"</strong> <br />
I mean seriously? How is it already Easter? I swear it was just Christmas. Usually I'm eager for Winter to fly by fast, but around here time is flying but doesn't feel like Spring is getting any closer (at least weather-wise). <br />
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But anyway.<br />
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One of the FUN reasons I've been busy is because we've started the hunt for a <strong>new house</strong>. Yay! With John's graduation less than two short months away, we figured it was time to start looking at what's on the market and getting a sense of what we want in our "forever" home. <br />
And to be honest, it's been a little discouraging. <br />
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We've found some beautiful houses online and when we go to see them, reality is so far off from what we'd envisioned in our heads! Rooms much smaller, yards with no privacy, houses on top of each other, even one with a pool that had huge power lines hanging above! (Those were conveniently cropped out of the pictures!)<br />
I feel with the price range of houses that we're looking at, we should be able to get what we want but the more I see I am starting to doubt that. Or at least people that have what we want, aren't selling! Fortunately, our brother in law is our realtor so we don't feel too bad dragging him to places we wish we could afford and dreaming a little bit. <br />
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So if we can't find what we want, we've started thinking perhaps building is a better choice for us. I've always pushed that option aside for numerous reasons. First reason, I think it ends up being more expensive. From what I hear EVERYTHING is an upgrade. Oh, you want doorknobs? Sorry, that's an upgrade. <br />
Second reason, I am inpatient. I realize building pushes out the timeline that I have in my head fairly significantly for when I'd like be moving. <br />
Last reason, the decisions. ALL of the freakin' choices you need to make. I don't want to have to think about how high my ceilings are or whether to use copper pipe or pex (?) or poured or block basement. It gives me anxiety just thinking about it. <br />
However, it may end up being our only option (or settling for what we don't want) so we need to gather information and see if it's something right for us. A custom builder in the area we are looking at was recommended to us, Parry Custom Homes. We had our first consultation a couple weeks ago in their showroom and it was exciting and scary. Exciting in the fact that you can get exactly what you want. Scary in the fact that exactly what you want comes with a pretty hefty price tag.<br />
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We came to the agreement that if building is something we want to do, it likely would not be able to break ground until next year. Which means another year of townhome bliss, but more time to save. We were on our 'let's build' high when reality set in that we don't have land to build a house on and that needed to be factored into the price we wanted to spend. Cue the "wann wannn" sound..<br />
The past few weekends we've been driving around looking at lots. Some in neighborhoods, some not and it's just seeming near impossible to find at least a half an acre, relatively flat in Westmoreland County without selling your first born. I am tempted to start knocking on doors and asking farmers if they will sell me just a teeny bit of their field. I really took for granted growing up in the country.<br />
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One thing I am learning quite well. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. We found a lot 2.8 acres, about half of it flat, the rest wooded hillside. It was pretty nice and inexpensive. <br />
Come to find, if you want to build there you have to dig your sewer line through the neighbors yard which, oh by the way this neighbor is going through the foreclosure process and there is no saying how long that's going to take. No biggie, we don't need water or toilets.<br />
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So at this point, there is nothing new to check out so we're just in sit and wait mode. I'm sure more houses and lots will come up for sale as Spring approaches and I'm hoping whatever happens, it's an easy decision for us and we know it's the right one. For now, we're focusing on the long list of things we need to fix up around here, which seems to be growing by the day!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-47800898753649232622013-02-13T19:26:00.001-08:002013-02-13T19:26:29.193-08:00sara's showerThis past weekend was my youngest sister, Sara's bridal shower! Sidenote: when I've told people this their first question is whether I am in the wedding? Is it just me, but don't most people have their siblings in their weddings unless they had a huge falling out or something? I just find it odd that so many people have asked me that but I guess they don't how big the bridal party is or our family situation. Anyway.. I digress.<br />
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I've been wanting to post pictures of my projects along the way but didn't want to ruin any of our surprises for Sara so now I can show! The wedding colors are light pink and grey (no more yellow!)so we opted to go with what I call a pink shabby chic theme for the shower. <br />
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<em>Thank goodness for Pinterest!</em><br />
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The first great find were the <strong>invitations</strong>! <br />
I'm a sucker for cute cards, I've told you before, I love them! I found so many cute invites online, but with our fairly large guest list (around 70 invites!) shelling out $1.50 + a piece was not in the budget. I found this website called artfire.com and a designer called <a href="http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/starwedd" target="_blank">starwedd</a> where you can purchase an electronic version of the invitation for $15.00 and print it yourself at home... I had leftover cardstock from other projects so besides buying envelopes and using some ink in my home printer, this turned out to be a huge cost saver and the invites were beautiful!<br />
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Next was a <strong>banner</strong> that I made from various prints of scapbook paper and tied together with thin rope. I've seen a lot of these for sale on Etsy and other sites, but to make it myself took an hour and cost less than a few bucks!<br />
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Monica made a<strong> sign</strong> with a countdown to the wedding day!</div>
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The <strong>centerpieces</strong> were various size metal cans wrapped with the same scrapbook paper and filled with flowers. We really lucked out here that Sharon, the maid of honor's father worked for a wholesale flower distributor and was able to get us a TON of flowers for an amazing price! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMtbQHG-GFpjTAW6GyzD1np7QJj1lbpDzl2fi2wqA5LOfpvevRtTG8PKPW_4Qpxw8yJyv2SqVKPfOFCH2MN8EBNJw-FeXsnOZAUH1szWAK_uQI_p2tt5AlmcWJEGi4ltSzvtCyw63t-2I/s1600/IMG_3326%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMtbQHG-GFpjTAW6GyzD1np7QJj1lbpDzl2fi2wqA5LOfpvevRtTG8PKPW_4Qpxw8yJyv2SqVKPfOFCH2MN8EBNJw-FeXsnOZAUH1szWAK_uQI_p2tt5AlmcWJEGi4ltSzvtCyw63t-2I/s320/IMG_3326%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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The <strong>favors</strong> were originally picked out when the colors were yellow and grey, but we made it work for the pink/grey theme. Small honey jars that were purchased on Amazon and I made custom labels that said "Sara and Justin, Meant to bee..." We weren't crazy about the blue plaid lids so some tulle and ribbon did the trick!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCztjCbWRsElH7bIe4qPIco5wzVarkcdjRMHQJsEz_Q_91I0Fl2TlfKdFhRkofN59Q0Uz2gnqBLscB6FnfWO3psGQ8yNsK406X2ggyibjJRu59gn36rC0zwS7Yktt2gEtA1_JK8-66cFV8/s1600/IMG_3296%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCztjCbWRsElH7bIe4qPIco5wzVarkcdjRMHQJsEz_Q_91I0Fl2TlfKdFhRkofN59Q0Uz2gnqBLscB6FnfWO3psGQ8yNsK406X2ggyibjJRu59gn36rC0zwS7Yktt2gEtA1_JK8-66cFV8/s320/IMG_3296%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We tried not to overdo it with the games but needed something to keep our guests entertained. We started off with a purse scavenger hunt, where we read off a list of items that ladies would have in their purses and if they have the item they get a point. The one with the most points, wins! It was pretty funny seeing what some of these people were pulling out of their bags.. men's cologne, socks, 4 tubes of lipstick! The other game involved asking Justin some questions ahead of time and then asking Sara the same question and seeing how well she knows how he'd answer. She got all of them right! Instead of bridal bingo while Sara opened gifts we set an egg timer and if it went off while she was opening your gift, you got a prize. Other prizes were given out for birthday closest to their wedding day and engagement day.<br />
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For the <strong>prizes</strong>, Lauren ordered body wash and lotion sets from Victorias Secret and put them in bags with grey/pink tissue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCsn1fDz6H9wH2c7Rj1HMDajaemd9LppB_KA0mmFNFPkgyVq_7HLHL1pkm_sPToKk_kiO5XCbqzkL1Qp-4lqBSr9HADhg9pf0cbUupdyg5_e36IddmTmPUPMDmKg6u-F67XTvOhriN91I/s1600/IMG_3294%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCsn1fDz6H9wH2c7Rj1HMDajaemd9LppB_KA0mmFNFPkgyVq_7HLHL1pkm_sPToKk_kiO5XCbqzkL1Qp-4lqBSr9HADhg9pf0cbUupdyg5_e36IddmTmPUPMDmKg6u-F67XTvOhriN91I/s320/IMG_3294%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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As for <strong>food and drink</strong>, we decided on a Sangria and a bridal punch recipe that were both really tasty. We had a variety of appetizers, my mom made yummy soup and beef brisket sandwiches, assorted wraps and side dishes. Lori, Justin's mom made these delicious anitpasta skewers (that I am SO making for my next party) and Monica made fruit skewers that were almost too pretty to eat! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyH-Kcftd9MiRbsOrRS1H3X9MtXFli9fTtW8vDv__722sk5wwc7rEEKHs7vFxJq0YoPIjTDo3OvV-u7XgbmKD2pbq6-pR52XyRoAPx98HpuWihPtK9USFdKapEvCOGeCN6pwWIr8o-10m/s1600/IMG_3309%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyH-Kcftd9MiRbsOrRS1H3X9MtXFli9fTtW8vDv__722sk5wwc7rEEKHs7vFxJq0YoPIjTDo3OvV-u7XgbmKD2pbq6-pR52XyRoAPx98HpuWihPtK9USFdKapEvCOGeCN6pwWIr8o-10m/s320/IMG_3309%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7b6yLir3oG4cGI0wKKA0zrkyiQdyc7PrFbSfVO61jufupYJnFvu7esAZuKfZnx9qLABCfX202svSpfWNAx2m1ARzP1UmZupZ7_4jw5DF4RQDNG2tlOvMidohubUO1k-dR-WPKa4JdWZk/s1600/IMG_3308%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7b6yLir3oG4cGI0wKKA0zrkyiQdyc7PrFbSfVO61jufupYJnFvu7esAZuKfZnx9qLABCfX202svSpfWNAx2m1ARzP1UmZupZ7_4jw5DF4RQDNG2tlOvMidohubUO1k-dR-WPKa4JdWZk/s320/IMG_3308%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOLMCl-OtTWhEBlueucobieoNMCqMPn-tc-d6gNC6aQuUU8eMZsDyjSbyMwsK7gY1ZJaTxWavT8JNvevlr_4T0QJN239ZOZ-2aZ9Y1NJzEi-mUVrGbf8_l64XosNVmWURlIurgA-3ZoWz/s1600/IMG_3305%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtOLMCl-OtTWhEBlueucobieoNMCqMPn-tc-d6gNC6aQuUU8eMZsDyjSbyMwsK7gY1ZJaTxWavT8JNvevlr_4T0QJN239ZOZ-2aZ9Y1NJzEi-mUVrGbf8_l64XosNVmWURlIurgA-3ZoWz/s320/IMG_3305%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a>Instead of a cake, Lauren made<strong> cupcakes</strong> - vanilla, chocolate and of course FUNFETTI! We got a good laugh at the way the tops were shaped due to baking them in a convection oven, but nothing a little icing and some pretty sprinkles couldn't fix! Jenna brought white chocolate flower pops and we had brownies and mini cheesecakes as well.<br />
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As always, my Dad does a great job pulling it all together at Chisel Creek golf course. I think secretly he's a little sad this will be the last bridal shower for his daughters. He really gets into David Tuterra mode when it comes to these events and I love it!<br />
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Thank you all who came out to celebrate Sara's bridal shower! I know she had a great time and we're all looking forward to the next party at her house now that she has everything she needs!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk4bp_K90D0yd7jvoWs-nwdHDuIw7WHJMAe1Mf29Bvz5yIv0u9IpnYFriwyb6R5D94PgMg_9iUDG-ZkN4MlIfPmoGzYgQdOr0m1zZvbkSAbm0im7tLCv6UGR22u5JPxA2MJ_yQGyfkLXj/s1600/IMG_3315%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk4bp_K90D0yd7jvoWs-nwdHDuIw7WHJMAe1Mf29Bvz5yIv0u9IpnYFriwyb6R5D94PgMg_9iUDG-ZkN4MlIfPmoGzYgQdOr0m1zZvbkSAbm0im7tLCv6UGR22u5JPxA2MJ_yQGyfkLXj/s320/IMG_3315%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQgLYyR7Y6LFWf_tApKCkM6Naa7rg3deKeJ4BosfZSIwJWRnK_ODeefUfigiLxC031YcS883mMuTGA92eiZmM_JWFUD8VRey_sDRwRzYuXiKXlCQdH0aupLQtkZUvYZ5jZ4d3SksklN1f/s1600/IMG_3324%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQgLYyR7Y6LFWf_tApKCkM6Naa7rg3deKeJ4BosfZSIwJWRnK_ODeefUfigiLxC031YcS883mMuTGA92eiZmM_JWFUD8VRey_sDRwRzYuXiKXlCQdH0aupLQtkZUvYZ5jZ4d3SksklN1f/s320/IMG_3324%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-1639459566830819382013-01-14T19:44:00.003-08:002013-01-14T19:47:25.041-08:00Favorite Things: Make UpI hate to disappoint but I'm not giving away loads of free stuff. I'm not Oprah, people!<br />
However, I love reading reviews and asking for recommendations about products people love, so when I find something I can't live without, I want to share! <br />
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The topic is <span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><em>make up</em></span>! (Go ahead gentlemen, you can close your browser windows now)<br />
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<strong>My favorite powder/foundation</strong>: <br />
<strong><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">Maybelline PureStay Powder Foundation</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0EC664nCSXERgU7wfrFOPmASsW-cTFwx4dJiwxbcqXJsXQ12gV3XTOha7T-LUutUHT-6EYTKKQhKx9Kr6NCwpW5g82OnwtGlDzeC_Hp1zr9Rdbmb4Az63Drest4PWZRodwylba6GC5AU/s1600/IMG_3231%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0EC664nCSXERgU7wfrFOPmASsW-cTFwx4dJiwxbcqXJsXQ12gV3XTOha7T-LUutUHT-6EYTKKQhKx9Kr6NCwpW5g82OnwtGlDzeC_Hp1zr9Rdbmb4Az63Drest4PWZRodwylba6GC5AU/s200/IMG_3231%255B1%255D.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<em><strong>Why this is awesome?</strong></em><br />
I don't like liquid foundation and pressed powder alone isn't always enough so this provides the happy medium! Subtle coverage with a smooth powder finish that lasts the entire day. <br />
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<em><strong>Where do I get it and how much?</strong></em> <br />
It's Maybelline you can get it anywhere and it's around $7-$8. You can't beat that!<br />
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I have been using this product for at least 8 years and was a little worried when they discontinued my shade. Fortunately, I realized this early enough and found several new compacts on Amazon for really cheap and stocked up!<br />
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<strong>My favorite lid primer</strong>: <br />
<strong><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;">Lorac Behind the Scenes Eye Primer</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcym1DgQJBmDbzx6SjlBO-g7-4G_pm_BeKUXOUa_B1lpxZRv8P5ZNO8qXlkWeLjZhNxQZoriQ6pxArj4uUnOsEa9uTKQjrnBYvIXXQSqD1OfL1Y0LXHHPyFq2qvuyu6MmORuDUk9f_UAOs/s1600/IMG_3230%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcym1DgQJBmDbzx6SjlBO-g7-4G_pm_BeKUXOUa_B1lpxZRv8P5ZNO8qXlkWeLjZhNxQZoriQ6pxArj4uUnOsEa9uTKQjrnBYvIXXQSqD1OfL1Y0LXHHPyFq2qvuyu6MmORuDUk9f_UAOs/s320/IMG_3230%255B1%255D.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong><em>Why this is awesome?</em></strong><br />
No creases in your eye shadow! Some of you may not have this problem, but I do! My eye shadow would look great in the morning but by the end of the day it was no longer on my lid and there was a line where it had all moved to the crease of my eye lid. Yuck. I have tried several lid primers from cheap to pretty expensive and this one does the trick perfectly and keeps that shadow in place!<br />
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<strong><em>Where do I get it and how much?</em></strong><br />
Shhhh... don't tell!<br />
Alone this primer is $21.00 at Sephora. A little on the high side for a small tube even though it does last awhile. However, Sephora sells this <a href="http://www.sephora.com/close-up-real-life-to-red-carpet-eye-tutorial-P267203?skuId=1263672" target="_blank">Lorac set</a> for $37.00 that includes a full size primer, eye shadow trio, liner, duo mascara and an eye shadow brush!! They never have that many in the store so when I find it, I buy it. No joke these items purchased separately are $110 so it's a great deal, and they work fabulously together. <br />
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<strong>My favorite eye make-up remover:</strong> <br />
<strong><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;">American Beauty Barefaced Make Up Remover</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbdN0RqXgyCx_FE2LTylZLJ329JaYzuPChTCEGBEX_cU0zmT6TjXnirJdktZILhWGIQugitgv_7FSR7EtRB6PkDEoiWNse-T1YKZYKLYqoqgUYg31EQf7KHMxmUI8gm5zASib4DijyL6-/s1600/IMG_3227%255B2%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbdN0RqXgyCx_FE2LTylZLJ329JaYzuPChTCEGBEX_cU0zmT6TjXnirJdktZILhWGIQugitgv_7FSR7EtRB6PkDEoiWNse-T1YKZYKLYqoqgUYg31EQf7KHMxmUI8gm5zASib4DijyL6-/s320/IMG_3227%255B2%255D.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Why this is awesome?</em></strong><br />
My mom, sisters and I swear by this <a href="http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-92021/barefaced-beauty-makeup-remover-for-eyes-and-lips-42-oz.jsp?searchTerm=american%20beauty%20remover" target="_blank">stuff</a>. My mascara never comes off with just normal facewash, I look like a raccoon afterwards. After years of using the little pink or blue capped Maybelline make up remover the skin around my eyes was either super oily or really dried out. Then one time while I was home visiting my parents, I used this for the first time and pretty sure it "accidentally" ended up in my bag back to Pittsburgh.<br />
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<em><strong>Where do I get it and how much?</strong></em><br />
Kohls! Regular price it's around $15, but seriously... it's Kohls, when do you ever pay regular price?Whenever I have Kohls cash and a coupon, I pick up a bottle of this so I never run out.<br />
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So what are your FAVORITE make up items? Anything you can't live without that you want to share?! Please tell!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-4133596319248462792013-01-12T09:35:00.001-08:002013-01-12T09:35:01.493-08:00Week 1: Off to a good startToday I was actually able to get outside and run with Izzy and boy, did that feel great after being cooped up inside for the past month! Poor girl, while we've been playing with her inside everyday to get her some exercise, this run was a little more than she bargained for. I think I pulled her along half of the time which is rare for a puggle that is usually pulling me. Don't let her 30 lbs fool you, she's strong! Now she is back in bed resting, she has such a hard life.<br />
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So did I stick with my plan for this week?<br />
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Yes and no. Mostly yes, after all it is week 1! Of all weeks, this should be the one that I stick with!<br />
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What worked well...<br />
<ul>
<li>Planning out the week ahead of time</li>
<ul>
<li>There was no last minute scramble the night of to figure out what's for dinner and end up ordering take-out. Knowing what was on tap for every day made the week go smoother and made it easier to stick with the plan.</li>
</ul>
<li>Choosing healthy meals that were easy to make and tasted good</li>
<ul>
<li>Our menu for this past week certainly doesn't sound light.. we had Spaghetti Carbonara, Mini Pizzas, Tacos, Minestrone soup and Tortilla soup! </li>
<li>Last night we went to Denny's for dinner because we wanted breakfast food. I knew this would be a hard place for me to make a smart decision but I decided against my craving for French Toast and went with their Fit and Fare egg white Omelette and fruit cup. I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted really good and filling with mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes. I recommend it!</li>
</ul>
<li>Sticking with my work-outs</li>
<ul>
<li>I factored in time during the day/evening for my activity and did all but 1 of what I planned to do.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
What did not work well...<br />
<ul>
<li>I skipped pilates because I ended up working late on Monday... </li>
<li>Resisting the tin of delicious homemade caramel popcorn my mom sent me!</li>
<li>Resisting splitting a piece of amazing almond cake with Kendra during our dinner date Tuesday. (At least we split it though!!!)</li>
</ul>
Overall, I feel pretty good about this week. I wasn't perfect but I did lose 1.5 lbs. Baby steps.<br />
So tomorrow I'll sit down and plan out this next week which I am looking forward to because my new <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0446584517" target="_blank">cookbook</a> arrived! <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-1333527781552268782013-01-10T17:04:00.003-08:002013-01-10T17:08:05.495-08:00Healthy Tortilla SoupOne of my goals with the 'get healthy' resolution for this year is to make smarter food decisions. For me, this does not mean eating salads every day, because 1) I'd be starving and end up snacking a lot more, and 2) it's not sustainable and I'd likely give up pretty quickly. One of my strategies with the smarter decision making is finding meals that are good for you taste great and don't scream "you're on a diet!!" When I sat down on Sunday to plan out my week, I had some support...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF67m-Je3qzYyxao0yufp3BLma984cqnQLcG_L5-GrtzGb0FD-OGm90SlLYnaxlpSO8CXXfATbeibtwkj9QGJFr_oI1Lj_Fede6Tt0p1hRTHZA8R6nZQs2BR4StiGha5bH16IvpUJLx-CS/s1600/rocco1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF67m-Je3qzYyxao0yufp3BLma984cqnQLcG_L5-GrtzGb0FD-OGm90SlLYnaxlpSO8CXXfATbeibtwkj9QGJFr_oI1Lj_Fede6Tt0p1hRTHZA8R6nZQs2BR4StiGha5bH16IvpUJLx-CS/s200/rocco1.jpg" width="150" /></a>Let me introduce you to my friend <a href="http://pinterest.com/roccodispirito/" target="_blank">Rocco DiSpirito</a>. If you haven't seen or heard of him, you need to. He focuses on reinventing delicious dishes that are notoriously bad for you, and making them healthy (like 350 calories or less kinda healthy!) <br />
While he wasn't really sitting down with me planning out my meals, his cookbooks were.<br />
<em>Now Eat This!</em> and <em>Now Eat This! Diet</em>. <br />
All of his recipes that I have made have been surprisingly really good and not too difficult! Earlier this week I made Spaghetti Carbonara and it was awesome!<br />
(now really, who can eat THAT when they are on Weight Watchers?!? ME, thanks to Rocco!)<br />
<br />
He recently released a <em>Now Eat This! Italian</em> cookbook which I am anxiously awaiting to arrive from Amazon.<br />
<br />
Tonight, I was making tacos (using lean ground turkey) and thought rather than a side dish of spanish rice or chips and salsa, (which would not have been too healthy) I would make Rocco's Tortilla Soup. <em>Arrrribaaaa!!</em> It was tasty, filling and only 4 WW points a serving.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">Tortilla Soup with Avocado and Cilantro</span></strong><br />
<em><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of Now Eat This! Rocco DiSpirito </span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Servings: 4</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em><br />
<strong>Ingredients:</strong><br />
<ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVvaJmVPAtToKlforMCSKV93QRtlcKG1nmuSz5qmlnuMRCzty3ULKP5VIJoVkHgGd2yjO1jFW-BWjCJf2UtWGCxGvmOQ_vTbfZX6QU1x8kUWRR5IOTmKKs1m5Yo3VV90HJgME_aqEtk0G/s1600/IMG_3213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVvaJmVPAtToKlforMCSKV93QRtlcKG1nmuSz5qmlnuMRCzty3ULKP5VIJoVkHgGd2yjO1jFW-BWjCJf2UtWGCxGvmOQ_vTbfZX6QU1x8kUWRR5IOTmKKs1m5Yo3VV90HJgME_aqEtk0G/s200/IMG_3213.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li>1 1/2 corn tortillas</li>
<li>2/3 cup low-fat, low sodium chicken broth</li>
<li>1 cup diced fire roasted tomoatoes (Hunts)</li>
<li>2 chipolte chiles in adobo sauce, chopped fine</li>
<li>2/3 cup store bought fresh salsa</li>
<li>1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels</li>
<li>1 cup shredded breast meat from a rotisserie chicken</li>
<li>1/3 ripe Hass avocado, sliced</li>
<li>1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro</li>
<li>Salt and pepper to taste</li>
</ul>
1.) Preheat oven to 375'F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7un1n26L0xGgNDbNLU-CZdrxaaWODnnAWSrCsNT4LEhgXTUOrU-_fs8x_dXh1Pna9P01unE-1mpFUB3nrDwnUeYCt5Kn8Ifbi9KzmBOGOjPYJutcbZwG3bZCGlRW-wIoX3Y97m-dluZzT/s1600/IMG_3214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7un1n26L0xGgNDbNLU-CZdrxaaWODnnAWSrCsNT4LEhgXTUOrU-_fs8x_dXh1Pna9P01unE-1mpFUB3nrDwnUeYCt5Kn8Ifbi9KzmBOGOjPYJutcbZwG3bZCGlRW-wIoX3Y97m-dluZzT/s200/IMG_3214.JPG" width="150" /></a>2.) Cut the tortillas into 1/4 inch wide strips. Place strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and bake until golden and crisp, 9 mins was perfect.<br />
<br />
3.) Meanwhile, combine the chicken broth, tomatoes, chipolte chiles, salsa and corn in a medium saucepan. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes. Stir the chicken into the soup, and season with salt and pepper to taste.<br />
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4.) Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with avocado slices, chopped cilantro and tortilla strips, and serve.<br />
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Traditionally tortilla soup has up to 510 calories and 20 grams of fat... not this version, only 142 calories and a whooping 3.1 grams of fat. <em><span style="color: #274e13;">Ay CarYUMba!!!</span></em><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-23748568611651210992013-01-05T18:50:00.002-08:002013-01-05T18:55:56.916-08:00TO DO: get healthySo here I am again making the same resolution that I make every year and seem to give up on after awhile once the motivation wears off. I know I'm not alone with this, we all do it. Say we're going to stick with it and then LIFE gets in the way. <br />
I'm embarassed to even be bringing this up again since I blogged awhile back about how I was going to stick with my Weight Watchers tracking and well, that went to crap once Thanksgiving rolled in and brought Christmas right behind it.<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I need to take a different approach this year. I am still going to do WW but my focus needs to be less on the losing weight part and focus more on just being healthy. It's easy to feel defeated and give up when you feel like you are trying and don't see results right away. I want instant gratification and up to this point the gratification I pay attention to is the numbers on a scale, rather than the reward of feeling great after a workout or smart meal choice. So this year I'm really going to try to focus on that more and hopefully the losing weight will come as a bonus. <br />
<br />
HAHA, this all sounds so easy. NOT.<br />
<br />
I manage my life through a series of 'To Do' lists. I write lists for everything. Sometimes I even write things on my list that I've already done just for the satisfaction of crossing them off. (Please tell me you do this too!) <br />
Important things go to the top of the list, <em>MUST DO</em>! the rest drop to the bottom of the list, <em>ehh if I feel like it. </em>Guess where the working out typically falls?<br />
So for this year I need to re-establish my health priorities and start organizing my lists as such. <br />
<br />
First thing on the list: Re-join the gym. <br />
This Summer I cancelled my gym membership because I was doing KettleWorx kettle bell workouts at home and really liked it. I was feeling good and losing inches but realized after a few months of doing the repetitive workouts each week that I needed variety. I was getting bored and with the cold winter setting in I didn't have the luxury of walking/running with Izzy in the evenings to add some extra cardio into the routine. <br />
So today, I re-joined the gym and walked/ran (mostly walked) a 5K on the treadmill. I felt great afterwards, but am sure I'll be feeling the pain tomorrow. <br />
My goal is to have some activity on my To Do list every day. It's not realistic to think I'm going to work out everyday, I know I won't, but even it it's just a 15 minute walk during lunchtime or squats during commercials it's better than nothing. <br />
<br />
Next thing on the list: Plan ahead for the week.<br />
Lately I've been winging it and taking one day at a time and depending what I feel like doing, that's what happens. Which typically results in not working out and eating whatever I want. I am going to use Sunday as my day to figure out my plan for the week. Depending on my schedule I can plan for what exercise I'm doing each day and also plan meals accordingly (what nights does John have school, are we dining out?, etc). I know it's going to be a pain tomorrow to sit down and think through all of these things but in the long run I think it will make my week easier when I know what is happening every day and can be prepared for it. <br />
<br />
BRING IT ON week 1!<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-67060079434955168482013-01-02T17:04:00.001-08:002013-01-02T17:08:18.048-08:00Cheers to the new year!The future is exciting because of the uncertainty; the surprise that each day brings and no matter how much we prepare and plan for it there is no way of knowing for sure what will happen.<br />
It's funny thinking about New Year's Day last year and what I expected for 2012, some of it became reality and some didn't but all in all it was a good time!<br />
<br />
My job was really hectic the beginning of the year but going into second quarter I started to re-gain my life back and took full advantage of it! <br />
<br />
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<ul>
<li>John and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary in May and it was so hard to believe that two years had passed already! </li>
<li>We were blessed with two little nephews Jacob Dominic Betters and Joseph Michael Caligiuri and my "niece" Mia Frances Henriquez.</li>
<li>I did a bit more traveling than usual realizing that I needed to take advantage of this time while I had it...</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSowbHdvVJI6a6w6p0pVEvA9zwcENnV7tZCqAN3Tz0wBS0fuTnwvAsX5JK-r_i6QgWzzEKGseevIc0T5BMQUIrDuKguiOclBNFi-VmF86WGMofYSX94PC-n1kvnCWyQBvktr4NLTAFESz/s1600/551601_10100764159634903_565614926_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjSowbHdvVJI6a6w6p0pVEvA9zwcENnV7tZCqAN3Tz0wBS0fuTnwvAsX5JK-r_i6QgWzzEKGseevIc0T5BMQUIrDuKguiOclBNFi-VmF86WGMofYSX94PC-n1kvnCWyQBvktr4NLTAFESz/s200/551601_10100764159634903_565614926_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHJHQIx-CQ_PmaJv28ftWQlMXRc_-4D0CcUH3g3X3r1gALDioLdCpI2EA2GX4ap0RXDhjnk5prtglctP4NgmhJPoHPCQEqh0gwtw4u-B1IaZsMXtnKtOQCMZZ65RRkZ2hwZVO1V8w8Ugd/s1600/IMG_1102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivHJHQIx-CQ_PmaJv28ftWQlMXRc_-4D0CcUH3g3X3r1gALDioLdCpI2EA2GX4ap0RXDhjnk5prtglctP4NgmhJPoHPCQEqh0gwtw4u-B1IaZsMXtnKtOQCMZZ65RRkZ2hwZVO1V8w8Ugd/s200/IMG_1102.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_LCadcDxD9wkhzBtVT9qNhqRm7fGwNG39aMMqCFz_9vCMFhVe_WuRyfjiiKibM0FyoXay-t0nmXHwK-cuU6uAQid0NMYAAtquZjg7bwUF5lv5e6B0O9T2LAv5OoeKckNF_3698Jl-qJd/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
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<ul>
<li>In May, I went to <strong>Florida</strong> for my cousin Mimi's wedding.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<ul><ul>
<li>In June, we traveled to <strong>Idaho</strong> to visit family and had a great time exploring a place we'd never been before!</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<ul><ul>
<li>In July, I went to <strong>Aruba</strong> with some of my girlfriends and enjoyed the relaxation that one can only find there in the calmness of the sea.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<ul><ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_LCadcDxD9wkhzBtVT9qNhqRm7fGwNG39aMMqCFz_9vCMFhVe_WuRyfjiiKibM0FyoXay-t0nmXHwK-cuU6uAQid0NMYAAtquZjg7bwUF5lv5e6B0O9T2LAv5OoeKckNF_3698Jl-qJd/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_LCadcDxD9wkhzBtVT9qNhqRm7fGwNG39aMMqCFz_9vCMFhVe_WuRyfjiiKibM0FyoXay-t0nmXHwK-cuU6uAQid0NMYAAtquZjg7bwUF5lv5e6B0O9T2LAv5OoeKckNF_3698Jl-qJd/s200/IMG_1117.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li>In August, I went to <strong>Fenwick Island</strong> and despite the crappy beach weather it was still fun chilling out with my friends.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<ul><ul>
<li>and in October, a weekend trip to <strong>Washington DC</strong>!</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi6DFmhfNPP_MFbqyqMg09Eve0YTMMZbzR8MBcuUmbnrIGDTIUGjW4cDZHdUqfLvVVKLTg5xSKEYe-48dn1o5T5toPKgd-i21D5AkcvYQ5pRjoKNVK56BpnRUDWWIlvBMjcEIoiErilLX/s1600/599726_468275823183701_1655960436_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi6DFmhfNPP_MFbqyqMg09Eve0YTMMZbzR8MBcuUmbnrIGDTIUGjW4cDZHdUqfLvVVKLTg5xSKEYe-48dn1o5T5toPKgd-i21D5AkcvYQ5pRjoKNVK56BpnRUDWWIlvBMjcEIoiErilLX/s200/599726_468275823183701_1655960436_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>We spent more time with our families and are grateful that everyone is in good health!</li>
</ul>
<br />
Looking forward to 2013, it's going to be an exciting year based on what I know already so I can't imagine topping it off with what I don't know...<br />
<ul>
<li>My sister Sara is getting married in April, so we'll be busy in Boxler wedding mode these next few months!</li>
<li>John graduates from Carnegie Mellon with his MBA in May, I'm so proud of him!</li>
<li>Trip planned to Riviera Maya to celebrate!</li>
<li>Hopefully put the townhouse up for sale and if all goes well move into a new house!</li>
</ul>
Cheers to 2013!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-86275245770087149852012-12-26T14:16:00.003-08:002012-12-27T06:49:05.837-08:00ChristmasI feel pretty guilty for not writing for so long, but it doesn't come from lack of trying... I started a post on the night of the Sandy Hook school shooting and really struggled with finding the right words to sum up how I was feeling. I'd stop, come back to it, and stop again. I've finally conceded that it will stay in 'draft' post mode forever.<br />
<br />
The past few weeks have been filled to the brim with lots of fun things to celebrate Christmas! <br />
<br />
One of our favorite traditions to kick off the season is getting our picture with Santa at PetSmart. This was our 6th year! Now, this tradition did not start off as a "family" picture, it was fully intended to be just Izzy and Santa but once we hit the second year she started freaking out (probably scared from the first year with Scary Santa) and wouldn't sit still unless I was holding her. Hence, it's now become a family shot and despite what you all think about me forcing John to do this, he likes it and never complains about it! Of course it's because this is for Izzy, I'm sure if his mom and I asked to get him to get family pictures (at some place else besides the pet store) there would be grumbling involved.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mU9dLTmtyYgRwWicl-2QkwmVOAT4rRkgwm56XPg0Mw5IqLZEGKnJohlWbNC3do43r7V4LLJXlv7JhE5BiUnLcnEk2w4XDZBQhal0q7DgP8dY3syjgr6dtZ_wZXAiZqGbxwLd7vH8lLDX/s1600/IMG_3177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1mU9dLTmtyYgRwWicl-2QkwmVOAT4rRkgwm56XPg0Mw5IqLZEGKnJohlWbNC3do43r7V4LLJXlv7JhE5BiUnLcnEk2w4XDZBQhal0q7DgP8dY3syjgr6dtZ_wZXAiZqGbxwLd7vH8lLDX/s320/IMG_3177.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2007 - Scary Santa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlSxQEyxSR9hRd2kuG2Mc40VyWsyloOvJ_guFwM8u91cmxW4k7xum2_2dx_7WZNa9HW9Qy6v2EcTOQNycIQ1KGCvqbaqkpSqTXZ8d0IGdldJSKQFp5x_OdPasT3XTHt4vt4hCQCaE8oJm/s1600/IMG_3179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlSxQEyxSR9hRd2kuG2Mc40VyWsyloOvJ_guFwM8u91cmxW4k7xum2_2dx_7WZNa9HW9Qy6v2EcTOQNycIQ1KGCvqbaqkpSqTXZ8d0IGdldJSKQFp5x_OdPasT3XTHt4vt4hCQCaE8oJm/s320/IMG_3179.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyblsA7g8zDNP4OahWte9l5Zpma97aBDIKyTWYVLLJ2VYuoWD4s5J_b2U_m5ri98qfqFOVOA0fs82MrbiBEsIRmh4uVApWiFADuYfGfbry8qA6Y7adf0EnnqD-5lrQDOZZdq9Fz3HEgzmz/s1600/IMG_3180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyblsA7g8zDNP4OahWte9l5Zpma97aBDIKyTWYVLLJ2VYuoWD4s5J_b2U_m5ri98qfqFOVOA0fs82MrbiBEsIRmh4uVApWiFADuYfGfbry8qA6Y7adf0EnnqD-5lrQDOZZdq9Fz3HEgzmz/s320/IMG_3180.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrlcfSJrL2e8NMZV3FfSteqes3yslodEk4BYZVdrK7Fn6TD1Sn96x392AZ0xXa3bH-JzHLA7_KtOYGzf1zkEURFN6o-VnUMHYR96l1SogcQaIzePjhlN5yuEq4XGw1xjMtc_aZDn6j9Gf/s1600/IMG_3181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrlcfSJrL2e8NMZV3FfSteqes3yslodEk4BYZVdrK7Fn6TD1Sn96x392AZ0xXa3bH-JzHLA7_KtOYGzf1zkEURFN6o-VnUMHYR96l1SogcQaIzePjhlN5yuEq4XGw1xjMtc_aZDn6j9Gf/s320/IMG_3181.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjB3dFDEs7xFbObaWIdrf8XPAxNvWErMH05-kz9we0iJC1FfFxydPvkAYTlJNwfPPrwtNkEeCnkYNr36FaD3GStowZyy0ymOBgU9tsCgB-lYQSkYOPedbYYsSf0h1Zs9SZ_pzMKOsLatv8/s1600/IMG_3182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjB3dFDEs7xFbObaWIdrf8XPAxNvWErMH05-kz9we0iJC1FfFxydPvkAYTlJNwfPPrwtNkEeCnkYNr36FaD3GStowZyy0ymOBgU9tsCgB-lYQSkYOPedbYYsSf0h1Zs9SZ_pzMKOsLatv8/s320/IMG_3182.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8idlnayhCjzCrgDJaIGAmfJTpVEIZiZhu_YxOaRleSTnyEwQr0rK8uPlxtxrAZAgGVxmJfYfk1IIH3HokVrT0fuTNkVug9WKVLrm9nGrBwRwPHXaLh5Fi63EHxwTSvzAkzojr-U3M0coR/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8idlnayhCjzCrgDJaIGAmfJTpVEIZiZhu_YxOaRleSTnyEwQr0rK8uPlxtxrAZAgGVxmJfYfk1IIH3HokVrT0fuTNkVug9WKVLrm9nGrBwRwPHXaLh5Fi63EHxwTSvzAkzojr-U3M0coR/s320/IMG_3183.JPG" width="240" /></a>I had Christmas dinners with my girlfriends in lieu of our annual Girl's Christmas party which we didn't have this year due to our crazy weekend schedules. I was thrilled when I found these little notepads at Target that said "Mildly Addicted to Cheese". This was the perfect little gift for us cheese lovers! I literally gasped when I saw them and bought every one they had. The cashier asked me as she was ringing up the stack, "um maam, I have to ask, do you like cheese??" I wish I could have seen the expression on my face back to her... <em>do you really need to ask?</em></div>
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The oil was changed in my Jeep the week before Christmas and I am pretty sure by New Years I will need another one. We have been road tripping all over Pennsylvania this week! We treked back east to see my family the weekend before Christmas. It was a short and sweet time catching up with everyone I could, including my grandmother and aunt/uncle from Minnesota which was a special treat. I was happy Lauren also came down from Jersey for the weekend. I got to see my little nephew, Joey and he is getting so big at 3 months old already! My mom, sisters and I baked cookies during the day Saturday and the only batch I made were peanut butter reeses cookies and as I was pulling them out of the oven the tray flipped and the cookies went all over the bottom of the oven and melted. I was so annoyed. Needless to say those were the only cookies I made this year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2630AjAGWTJN61y0PvVXxCM5Dg1Iohn1cuQmQ4AfG-XCIpmX3htDSRPE8MPuWvxpjCF3XjP_qykXyA0NGx3_4G3VKZgCD6GKEkUtOP6jMgi_fBGAt6FOW-3rS7eduEqO06PzT1bxQJJh/s1600/IMG_3132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2630AjAGWTJN61y0PvVXxCM5Dg1Iohn1cuQmQ4AfG-XCIpmX3htDSRPE8MPuWvxpjCF3XjP_qykXyA0NGx3_4G3VKZgCD6GKEkUtOP6jMgi_fBGAt6FOW-3rS7eduEqO06PzT1bxQJJh/s320/IMG_3132.JPG" width="240" /></a>Saturday night, Paige's (one of my best friends I met in college who moved to Cali) parents were having a Christmas party at their house which is north of Philly. Lisa and Carrie were going and I wanted to surprise her since she wasn't expecting that I would be home that weekend. John and I snuck into the house and hid in the bathroom while Lisa greeted Paige and told her that something was wrong in the bathroom. I had to contain my laughter when her response was that it was probably her brother or dad's doing... nope, surprise, it's us! It was great catching up with our Pitt crew and Paige's family for the few hours we spent there.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKmeN20ai-w9ciHQEdcl_jDSBEWCE___SG78qQn518R9X0GW0gyBqTCXqWltL2cfpCRx9vMeaGNfR1LL3x-8uv0oz-Nbk-C628P3Ke2SHtexINaIhDhkKzAIRxwMhwQn9EguYinlLtwMJ/s1600/IMG_3156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKmeN20ai-w9ciHQEdcl_jDSBEWCE___SG78qQn518R9X0GW0gyBqTCXqWltL2cfpCRx9vMeaGNfR1LL3x-8uv0oz-Nbk-C628P3Ke2SHtexINaIhDhkKzAIRxwMhwQn9EguYinlLtwMJ/s320/IMG_3156.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Sunday we were back on the road again home to Pittsburgh to celebrate my father-in-law's 60th birthday. Carrie, my sister-in-law organized bowling and we had a great time! It was Julia's first time and sadly I think she beat me during the first game. I made a small come-back during the second one... I think we need to start playing more regularly, I forgot how much fun it is!</div>
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Christmas Eve, I decided to work from home and it was a good day to catch up on the stuff I'd been putting off for awhile since almost everyone else had taken the day off. That night we had dinner with John's parents and then went to church for a beautiful candlelight service. I took a moment to reflect on the poor families that are without their loved ones and the little children that won't be opening their presents on Christmas morning. I don't know if I'm just paying attention to it more or I'm really hearing more bells this season but the one line from It's A Wonderful Life keeps playing through my mind. </div>
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<em><span style="color: #073763;">"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets it's wings"</span></em></div>
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Christmas morning, John and I both woke up around 9:00 worrying that something was wrong because Izzy hadn't gotten up yet. You must know that Izzy wakes me up EVERY morning somewhere between 3:45-5:30 to go the bathroom and eat. It's horrible but I've done it every morning for 5 years so I don't even think I'm fully awake going through the motions. So for me to sleep through the night until 9am, this was one of the best gifts! She was fine, also just really tired from all the traveling and interruption to her normal napping schedule. We opened our gifts to each other (even though every year we say we aren't doing gifts because we have everything we want, need!) John surprised me with a beautiful diamond bracelet and I picked up a few more golf-related items for him to go with the new clubs. </div>
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We spent the afternoon/evening celebrating with the Kapusta family, opening presents, eating, talking and eating some more! John's parents love Christmas and they always go way overboard on the presents for all of us. It still feels like we are kids with the stacks of presents under the tree each year! Now we're just asking for more adult things, like a Dyson hard floor attachment for my vacuum. Yeah that's right, it's awesome. </div>
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Today, I was all psyched to hit the after Christmas sales since I was off, but mother nature had other plans in mind with a winter storm. We have several inches of snow, which has now turned into freezing rain. It was probably better off that I stayed in and did laundry and cleaned anyway!</div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><strong>Here's to wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas season with your families!</strong></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-8776102694808306192012-12-10T16:54:00.003-08:002012-12-10T16:54:50.264-08:00Cinnamon Nutella SquaresLooking for a super easy, delicious dessert?! Then try these. You won't be disappointed!<br />
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This was another Pinterest find and it's so simple it didn't even have a name, so I had to put on my creative hat and come up with one.<br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;"><strong>Cinnamon Nutella Squares</strong></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSjCabpRbWrwODR1XPOg9TR6cHY2PQ8QDvOdQURcmyf5XUA6gBy8iDhEIqcqRT-IkOIP5rtiyeuigRoCpKwhcYjnOnKLn4dZhTiPi_AbKRcRUgt29k8r9UkiTzmXFGn4e1h3synpH83Kj/s1600/IMG_3102%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRSjCabpRbWrwODR1XPOg9TR6cHY2PQ8QDvOdQURcmyf5XUA6gBy8iDhEIqcqRT-IkOIP5rtiyeuigRoCpKwhcYjnOnKLn4dZhTiPi_AbKRcRUgt29k8r9UkiTzmXFGn4e1h3synpH83Kj/s200/IMG_3102%5B1%5D.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
- 1 package of crescent rolls<br />
- Nutella <br />
- Cinnamon & Sugar<br />
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That.is.it.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 375' F.<br />
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Unroll your crescent roll dough and cut into 8 squares.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituiqi_c5CCEuFlBicZV0BiN5dtH9Kzq2ocwVTHdhCcP8mj1GXh_p6ALoKNZ51Ueoni51x9dBrG2KykUfJmR8EnSQyfypePxKt96kihbDTKW0oZ5DpFvvbBko7qQyReBFG8LPM8i7t188t/s1600/IMG_3095%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEituiqi_c5CCEuFlBicZV0BiN5dtH9Kzq2ocwVTHdhCcP8mj1GXh_p6ALoKNZ51Ueoni51x9dBrG2KykUfJmR8EnSQyfypePxKt96kihbDTKW0oZ5DpFvvbBko7qQyReBFG8LPM8i7t188t/s200/IMG_3095%5B1%5D.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two crescent triangles together make a rectangle. Then cut in half.</td></tr>
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Put a spoonful of Nutella on one side and fold over. Pinch the edges to seal it. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCal-jaZN8IQbpyXBzqS_AIkqcH_gX7cOxm3GSJGVP0v8I1SgtLe-bOgsWLbP1XtDhzE8o5saMyZyQ9gZ3qMfW_eSEq77sgPe-wOWH9B1EbUddWOPAVW6p4RCUJdoshtpXiC6cmXgW2pN/s1600/IMG_3096%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCal-jaZN8IQbpyXBzqS_AIkqcH_gX7cOxm3GSJGVP0v8I1SgtLe-bOgsWLbP1XtDhzE8o5saMyZyQ9gZ3qMfW_eSEq77sgPe-wOWH9B1EbUddWOPAVW6p4RCUJdoshtpXiC6cmXgW2pN/s200/IMG_3096%255B1%255D.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5EZpgQU5vw0rvCJZ2adzwBqy8J2FOodjRYa9Jw5C86WblhaA3Xlea8lvgSEMN9OcSRiF-X5PS8poSDmMDhUXxHWmrChyRKwvN_L1ehbidiOmLxOrKjKQSFbi-3zu0oRBvSvxDvbIY-TV/s1600/IMG_3097%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF5EZpgQU5vw0rvCJZ2adzwBqy8J2FOodjRYa9Jw5C86WblhaA3Xlea8lvgSEMN9OcSRiF-X5PS8poSDmMDhUXxHWmrChyRKwvN_L1ehbidiOmLxOrKjKQSFbi-3zu0oRBvSvxDvbIY-TV/s200/IMG_3097%5B1%5D.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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Roll it around in a bowl of cinnamon and sugar. Place on a cookie sheet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EGO3gAVSgq-JCXQsjFocWS0lYC2xWFEzJs65Q-FXwM6Hmjyx-BQgN-BOoOQpuued-JX6zKbJUXLAdfY7evcjdonvpC1BUSAJRjOLuw8deG86JSZauWqP4T237ZQ37YJY8cQc9Cp05Ued/s1600/IMG_3098%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1EGO3gAVSgq-JCXQsjFocWS0lYC2xWFEzJs65Q-FXwM6Hmjyx-BQgN-BOoOQpuued-JX6zKbJUXLAdfY7evcjdonvpC1BUSAJRjOLuw8deG86JSZauWqP4T237ZQ37YJY8cQc9Cp05Ued/s200/IMG_3098%5B1%5D.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjfbogaPi10uYlE3WGJ7urEAOdDLRB90AF1ntDg-XpCiCmUkcaOxos8Yy2ysAbgrWfLG3fvrKsucCUUkZV8Op_x3-H5eW6FKoDKDzcmixfgsYqJYPCKpDip2yekh9rW8UqTg5XMXKPuCW/s1600/IMG_3099%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjjfbogaPi10uYlE3WGJ7urEAOdDLRB90AF1ntDg-XpCiCmUkcaOxos8Yy2ysAbgrWfLG3fvrKsucCUUkZV8Op_x3-H5eW6FKoDKDzcmixfgsYqJYPCKpDip2yekh9rW8UqTg5XMXKPuCW/s200/IMG_3099%5B1%5D.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disregard the old cookie sheet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Bake for 11 minutes. <br />
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<span style="color: #c27ba0; font-size: large;"><em>Voila. It's magic.</em></span><br />
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These are best served warm. If you aren't able to eat them all in one sitting, just put one in the microwave for a few seconds. <br />
I can imagine it would taste delicious with some vanilla ice cream too!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-83457500710970797722012-12-04T19:40:00.000-08:002012-12-04T19:44:58.921-08:00bah humPUGWhile it seems like Christmas cards are becoming less of a tradition with all the other modes of communication these days, I still like sending them. This is probably because I like receiving them! You must admit the majority of the year when you open the mailbox all it contains are bills, credit card offers and catalogs for stores you've never shopped at and never will! <br />
It's boring. <br />
I remember actually being excited about getting the mail when I was a kid, now I kinda dread it. <br />
But not at Christmas time. <br />
I love seeing cards tucked amongst the other junk that typically gets tossed out as soon as I walk in the door. Sweet notes and pictures from friends and family adorn our pantry door as I hang them all up for display.<br />
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Last year was the first year that I did a photo card. While I was hoping I could get a card-worthy picture of John, Izzy and I in time for this year, I knew that would likely not be the case since I'm not crazy about any pictures of myself right now. Instead I had this idea (likely from something I saw on Pinterest) to put a wreath around Izzy's head and use that pic for our card. <br />
John declined the offer when I asked if he wanted to do it too <em>:)</em><br />
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So last night I went to the craft store and bought a wreath and ribbon to be the prop for this photo sesh. <br />
I knew this was not going to be easy since the dog typically hates anything on her besides her collar. No doggie clothes, jackets, reindeer antlers, boots for this pooch. But for a certain amount of treats, I can make her do anything so there would need to be some bargaining going on. <br />
This was not a one person job so John and I had to plan the strategy so she didn't take off running and hide under our bed (her favorite hiding spot) never to be seen again the rest of the night.<br />
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The strategy went something like this:<br />
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Sit.<br />
Treat.<br />
Hold wreath in front of her face.<br />
Treat.<br />
Push wreath back onto her neck.<br />
Treat.<br />
Picture!!<br />
Treat.<br />
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So we had her positioned and the pile of treats ready to go, but she was not going for it. She did not want to put her head through the wreath! I started thinking maybe we just hold it in front and I try to get creative with the camera angle but having John's hand in there wasn't really the look we were going for. Then she ran away so I started thinking maybe it was going to be traditional Hallmarks this year. Screw the photo card.<br />
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John caught her and said that we need to be the leader of the pack (must have learned that from the dog whisperer) and put the treats aside, put the stupid wreath on her neck and she was pretty much paralyzed in fear. She stood there like a perfect angel while I snapped away a gazillion pictures like a crazy woman oooohing and ahhhhhing!<br />
(My future children are going to HATE me some day because I will be THAT mom)<br />
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I know this sounds like animal cruelty and I promise she was not harmed at all during this. She was rewarded with plenty of hugs, kisses and treats and I was rewarded with some adorable pictures of what looks like a pissed off puggle with a Christmas wreath on her neck. <br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Bah-humbug from Izzy!</span><br />
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Actually, I do think she may have been partially traumatized, or just really ticked off because afterwards she laid in her bed and stared at the wall rather than cuddling with me on the couch like she normally does. Guess I better think of something better for next year!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-81325546472899275442012-12-01T14:28:00.004-08:002012-12-01T14:29:27.294-08:00life. november 2012This monthly update almost passed me by... I cannot believe it is DECEMBER already!<br />
So let's see... what else happened this month...<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000;">I finally got my iPad</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">I know my sisters are going to make fun of me for bringing this up again, but I never followed up to my other post about the drama associated with getting this thing!</span><br />
While I was home the weekend before Thanksgiving, Lauren and I went shopping in Delaware and both purchased iPads. The Apple Store was flooded with people shopping but they made it very convenient with an express table for those of who know exactly what we want and don't want to graze around the store looking at stuff. This is a moment that my Dad and John would be so proud of... I knew exactly what I wanted so this should be IN and OUT of the store in no time. Well... not so fast. <br />
For some reason when I was checking out they needed to call for authorization for using my debit card (which had more then enough to cover the iPad)! This took about 10 minutes of the poor sales rep being on hold at which point I told him to give up and just use my credit card so we could get out of there. This was not express!<br />
While I appreciate PNC trying to prevent fraudulant purchases, which I confirmed was the case when they called me later in the day to report that my card was attempted for use in Delaware, I seriously thought this was a final straw in preventing me from getting this coveted iPad!! Now the obsession has begun...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #783f04;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><strong>The steps are finished!</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">John has been waiting for a few weeks for custom pieces to arrive to complete the steps and officially wrap up the floor project. When you enter our townhouse there is small landing and steps that lead down to the basement/laundry room and another set that leads to the main floor. I've been anxiously waiting for the steps to be finished since it's the first thing people see when they come in. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">It wasn't easy, but he did it and they look great!!!</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #073763;">Last Pitt Football Home Game</span></strong><br />
The Pitt football tailgate sesason came to an end the weekend after Thanksgiving and we decided to kick it up a notch for the last home game by bringing the deep fryer. We typically bring this to one big game a year and cook chicken wings, mozzerella sticks, and anything else we can think of that would be tasty deep fried! Well this year John was set on deep frying ANOTHER turkey because his friend Dave has never had it before. We weren't sure if everyone would feel like eating turkey again just a few short days after Thanksgiving but there wasn't too much left afterwards!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04WjUHib7xmP3Fxi8X3thAT8K5HO9RjvlaRi6p-7qGH6yjUXzlCLODL8AIxey-XIe-R0pukX7JSVSWBsPw5QjVERYW1wVmRS44hfUjwm52j6vuFCG5j6NhDQZNHDJMCJqzKquLzg6FYnm/s1600/IMG_3016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04WjUHib7xmP3Fxi8X3thAT8K5HO9RjvlaRi6p-7qGH6yjUXzlCLODL8AIxey-XIe-R0pukX7JSVSWBsPw5QjVERYW1wVmRS44hfUjwm52j6vuFCG5j6NhDQZNHDJMCJqzKquLzg6FYnm/s320/IMG_3016.JPG" width="320" /></a>It was a noon game and it was SO cold that morning so we also had apple cider & rum and plenty of handwarmers to go around!<br />
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It was worth freezing out tooshies off because Pitt scored a big WIN against Rutgers. It's always nice have a great win at home to wrap up a not so great season.<br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;"><strong>Brag book</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I am a proud aunt of a beautiful niece, Julia and two handsome nephews, Jake and Joey. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">I just have to share a couple pics of these kiddos. They are so stinkin' cute!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-69770416154095788762012-11-30T14:54:00.004-08:002012-11-30T15:01:26.239-08:00Jalapeno Popper DipAround this time of the year especially I'm always looking for new recipes to try. Whether it's to serve to friends coming over, or to bring to a party or just for a special treat for no reason!<br />
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I have pinned so many recipes on Pinterest but hesitate trying them out especially when it involves other people eating them for fear it may be gross. This one was a winner. Now, let me warn you, I followed the recipe exactly and it was too spicy for our liking so I would definitely cut down on the jalapenos. Other than my mouth being on fire, it was delicious and worth sharing.<br />
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<em>OK that probably wasn't the best intro to this recipe and no one will try it now. </em><br />
<em>Obviously I am not in sales. This is good, I promise.</em><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Jalapeno Popper Dip</span><br />
<em>Source: <a href="http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/03/jalapeno-popper-dip.html">http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/03/jalapeno-popper-dip.html</a></em><br />
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<div class="summary">
<strong>Ingredients</strong></div>
<ul class="ingredients">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvKr3iScrOa__EjWB4EcQbNjkX_1tVrsbBT9e3wp0GQqg5iLIMuC1ku-1dJqjDBS5bW8GRmeByTDQhdX9onZD2fobB35hY-D1_n48X4KY2MUsXxMLIUauE-IWIuV1vDxIPVohrZWkQ5rY/s1600/IMG_3005%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQvKr3iScrOa__EjWB4EcQbNjkX_1tVrsbBT9e3wp0GQqg5iLIMuC1ku-1dJqjDBS5bW8GRmeByTDQhdX9onZD2fobB35hY-D1_n48X4KY2MUsXxMLIUauE-IWIuV1vDxIPVohrZWkQ5rY/s200/IMG_3005%5B1%5D.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<li class="ingredient">1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup mayonnaise</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 (4 ounce) can sliced jalapenos (pickled), drained <span style="color: #38761d;">(I would use 2 ounces next time, I was measuring from jarred jalapenos. I diced them rather than using the whole slices)</span></li>
<li class="ingredient">2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional) - <span style="color: #38761d;">I did not add these</span></li>
<li class="ingredient">1/4 cup panko bread crumbs</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated</li>
</ul>
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<strong> Directions</strong><br />
<ol class="instructions">
<li class="instruction">Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, parmigiano reggiano and jalapenos in a bowl and pour into a baking dish.</li>
<li class="instruction">Mix the panko bread crumbs and parmigiano reggiano and sprinkle over the dip.</li>
<li class="instruction">Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the sides are bubbling and the cheese cheese has melted and turned golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.</li>
<li class="instruction">Serve warm with tortilla chips.</li>
</ol>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">YUMMY!</span></em></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZQeWkA8CArYgda-0s1yaQv3JfgDRBHO77mF29wZjID5ttENCVt0ezl-Val9cofDKdNaOTe5QLgW4j-BvWtxYKrA46vEMXQC3zFqggxz7rq3b7UrXXlA_3sQ1nby_NVvHBu5F6wPcDeSp/s1600/Jalapeno+Popper+Dip+500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZQeWkA8CArYgda-0s1yaQv3JfgDRBHO77mF29wZjID5ttENCVt0ezl-Val9cofDKdNaOTe5QLgW4j-BvWtxYKrA46vEMXQC3zFqggxz7rq3b7UrXXlA_3sQ1nby_NVvHBu5F6wPcDeSp/s320/Jalapeno+Popper+Dip+500.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-44406293765854373232012-11-28T19:06:00.006-08:002012-11-30T15:01:43.355-08:00so thankfulI know I've been a little M.I.A this past week with traveling and Thanksgiving, my apologies! It feels like I've been doing nothing but eating, drinking, shopping, spending time with family, friends and eating some more!<br />
<br />
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays simply because what I've been doing is what it's all about. Relaxing and spending time with those you love without the stress of material gifts, but simply the gift of just being together. <br />
<br />
This year we traveled back to Landenberg the weekend before turkey day to spend time with my family. At the Boxler house there is never a dull moment, and it's getting even better as our family grows. A dining room table that used to feel so big for just the 6 of us is now filled with 10 chairs (including a baby seat), and 3 dogs waiting patiently for someone to give them some food! Since it's only a couple times a year that we are all together, it's special. And even with the shoving elbows, screaming to pass the gravy, baby crying, dogs fighting, and spilled wine on a new table cloth... the twinkle in my parent's eyes when everyone is together, let's me know there is nothing they are more thankful for than this.<br />
<br />
While we were in town the guys played in the annual Turkey Shoot golf outing at <a href="http://www.chiselcreekgolf.com/" target="_blank">Chisel Creek</a> and had a blast even though it was freezing. Much of the car ride back to Pittsburgh, all I heard about were these new golf clubs my soon-to-be brother in law has that John tried out and loved. <em>(Thanks Justin!)</em> I was having a really hard time justifying why he needed new ones when he already had a nice set that was less than 2 years old! But I guess he could come up with a million things that I buy <em>just because</em>, not necessarily because I need them. Sigh.<br />
<br />
Back in the burgh I had two quick days of work, dinner and drinks for Jess's birthday and then it was Thanksgiving Round 2 with the Kapusta's. The weather was warm and gorgeous that day, which was perfect for John and his dad to stick with their tradition of deep frying a turkey. This year they kicked it up a notch by injecting it with a cajun marinade and boy, was it tasty! We ate a little earlier this year and were all in food comas by 6pm :) We laugh that it takes all day of preparing a table full of amazing food, and less than 30 minutes to sit down and eat it! <br />
<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">I'm so very thankful that I am a part of not one, but two wonderful and loving families. </span></em><br />
<br />
Even though I technically did not NEED anything that warranted Black Friday madness, Lisa was in town and we decided to brave the craziness and venture out to do some shopping together. That morning John kept dropping hints about these new golf clubs, even going so far to give me a coupon, and package up his old clubs, and even put them in my car jussssst in case we decided to stop at Golf Galaxy to trade them in. You know, because Golf Galaxy is definitely a store Lisa and I frequent often... Could he not be more indirectly telling me he wants these new clubs?!<br />
<br />
Our first stop was Kohls and we lucked out and got a great parking spot right away, a shopping cart, and saw a group of nuns shopping. (These are BIG wins on Black Friday) I should probably mention the cart was a large GROCERY store cart and WAY too big to be navigating the narrow aisles of stuff in a crowded store. Somehow I managed to fill it with stuff I technically did not NEED, but did get some great deals on presents. The lines wrapped around the store, but we had a great system down where one of us would wait in line with the cart while the other did some more shopping. It only took about an hour to get through it, which we didn't think was that bad. I love Kohls but they get me everytime with the Kohls cash, and they were giving $15 in Kohls cash for every $50 that you spent!! So now I have to go back and use it, on more stuff I technically do not NEED :)<br />
<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">I'm so very thankful that I have life long friends that can make anything, (and I mean anything), a fun time.</span></em><br />
<br />
I decided to be the good wife and stop at Golf Galaxy since it was across the street. <em>Well, I caved.</em> With the trade-in money for the old clubs, the coupon and a sale on the new clubs, I couldn't pass it up, but now how do I keep this a secret from him?... he's impossible to surprise. I was trying to think of a story he would believe so when I got home I told him that I traded in his old clubs, but didn't realize that I was supposed to buy the new ones without him and said I thought we would go back at some point and buy them together. That's believable right?? I never bought golf clubs before, doesn't he want to try them out again to make sure?<br />
I couldn't tell whether he knew I was lying or not, but he seemed to get pretty bummed and then a little upset that he now had no golf clubs. I mean, what is a man to do?! What if he wanted to play this weekend, or go to the range or practice his swings in the living room (even though I tell him not too because I dont want him scuffing the new floors!) <br />
I let him stew on that for a couple days, just to add some suspense to it <em>(I know, I'm mean, but I'm really not!). </em> I actually let it get to the point where he was ready to purchase them online when I stopped him, confessed and am suddenly the best wife. ever. <br />
<br />
<em><span style="color: #b45f06;">I'm so very thankful that I have a husband who loves me, (even when I sell his golf clubs) and plays along to let me think that I actually surprised him with the new ones. </span></em><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-11257821069710405422012-11-16T14:59:00.004-08:002012-11-16T14:59:21.974-08:001 down, many to go..Not gonna lie, I was really dreading today after the promise I made last Friday to eat healthy, stay within my Weight Watchers points and work out. <br />
The weekend had a lot of temptation, especially with brunch and the goodies I bought at the Strip District, and with it getting dark so early it's putting a damper on my outside exercise activity. So when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw that I had lost 1 lb I was pretty darn excited. <br />
<br />
It may have been water weight, it may have been that I hadn't had my coffee yet, but I don't care. The number was less than what it was last Friday and that's a small victory for me.<br />
After my initial shock that I hadn't gained 5 lbs, I started thinking that even though I made some poor choices, I made really good choices at other times, and those good choices outweighed the bad this week. It's hard to always stay on track, but knowing when you didn't and being able to adjust for it, is half the battle. A few things I did differently this week..<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">1) <strong>Stopped making excuses for not working out.</strong></span> The weather was gorgeous, so I really tried to get Izzy out for a walk/run almost every day also while sticking with my kettlebell work outs. I put a calendar on the fridge and marked the days I exercised so it's there staring me in the face on the days I don't do it.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2) </span><strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Kicked my work-outs up a notch.</span> </strong>Instead of just walking, I started jogging intervals. Izzy really hates this, but it gets my heart rate up. Even though there are hills on the course we walk, it was becoming less challenging so this spices it up a bit.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">3) </span><strong><span style="color: #0b5394;">Stocked the fridge with healthy snacks.</span> </strong>Fruits are zero WW points, so I bought clementines, grapes, bananas and cucumbers that were readily available when I had the urge for a late night snack. <br />
<br />
I know this week coming up is going to be tough with Thanksgiving. I think it will really just come down to portion control and not going overboard. I'm not feeling too optimistic about next Friday's weigh-in but here's to trying!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-57865944740148806022012-11-14T17:15:00.005-08:002012-11-14T17:17:14.173-08:00ipad is driving me madI've been wanting to buy an iPad for a few months now, but there is the good angel on my shoulder saying <em>"You should save, remember you want a new house? you don't need an iPad"</em> and then the bad devil on my other shoulder saying <em>"YES, YOU DO!!!!!"</em><br />
<br />
Stupid devil.<br />
<br />
So I had convinced myself I didn't need it, but then one night about a month ago I turned on the TV to QVC as I was getting ready to go to sleep and sure enough there was the iPad. In all it's glory staring at me. A special one-time value that included a bunch of free accessories!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeuDoCGeAm2yZ2sNABAmjGpexJ2sMBmJKCOi7AwlGcvQd7Cw2kG6XvMbEiIVPAoUSrm5LanIkvWVFEfVoje_8eU7PGSbRpdI6tYlp3LO7XjhV3vu5eFWwXDNIhyTYf3vlArTFNMkBCRbP/s1600/2012-ipadrd-step1-white.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXeuDoCGeAm2yZ2sNABAmjGpexJ2sMBmJKCOi7AwlGcvQd7Cw2kG6XvMbEiIVPAoUSrm5LanIkvWVFEfVoje_8eU7PGSbRpdI6tYlp3LO7XjhV3vu5eFWwXDNIhyTYf3vlArTFNMkBCRbP/s1600/2012-ipadrd-step1-white.png" /></a><br />
<em>Oh my gosh, they already sold 5,000 in under one hour of this promotion!</em><br />
<em>It's midnight and they are selling this fast!</em><br />
<em>They are going to be sold out by the morning!</em><br />
<em>I need to get one now!!!</em><br />
<br />
I shake John and ask for his opinion, (pretty sure he was dead asleep) but he said, "yeah, sure", as I quickly dialed in and placed my order. <em>Whew, that was close!</em><br />
<br />
Stupid QVC.<br />
<br />
When I woke the next morning, I had to think twice about whether I really did an impulse purchase like that. One quick check in my call history proved it to be the case. Oh well, I really wanted one and apparently it was a good deal.<br />
<br />
Well wouldn't you know as my luck has it, the following week Apple announces that they are coming out with the iPad 4. WHAT?! I didn't even get my iPad 3 yet! Apparently a lot of people were pissed that they released a new version so soon, so Apple was offering an upgrade for anyone that purchased an iPad in the past 30 days. I called the Apple store and they were only offering this deal for people that purchased their iPad at an Apple store. Bummer. So I called QVC and they said they are not offering any upgrades. Well crap. It was all making sense why QVC was offering this deal that weekend, I think they sold close to 20,000 iPad 3's to people like me who had no clue what was being announced just a few short days later... So I did what I had to do. I canceled my order.<br />
It wasn't that the new version was so amazingly better, it was just the fact that I didn't even have it in my hands before it was outdated. <br />
<br />
Stupid Apple.<br />
<br />
My mind was already made up about the purchase, so I'm beyond the point of second guessing whether or not I need one. Clearly I do. (That good side of my conscience has disappeared apparently) but now I'm battling when to buy the stupid thing and where. With Black Friday approaching I know that retailers won't be able to discount the actual iPad itself but they will offer various incentives like gift cards or free accessories. <br />
I've been calling stores and scouring the internet and so far the only Black Friday deals I'm aware of are Walmart is offering a $75 gift card and Target is offering a $60 gift card. I called the Apple store because I have heard in the past they've offered discounts of 10% only on Black Friday as a surprise, but the service rep said she knew nothing. Liar.<br />
<br />
I'm heading back home to Landenberg this weekend and am tempted to avoid the Black Friday crazies and just buy it in Delaware where I won't have to pay sales tax and be done with it. <br />
I'm tired of trying to weigh all the options and figure out what will be the very best deal when it will probably only come down to saving me less than twenty bucks. <br />
<br />
Sigh, Stupid Me. This iPad is driving me mad!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-33169821737588544812012-11-12T14:51:00.001-08:002012-11-13T09:29:39.875-08:00the strip on a sundayOne of the many things I love about Pittsburgh is that I am constantly finding NEW things to love. For how relatively small the city is, there is so much to do here.<br />
(The winter weather, construction and distance from my family are really the only things I don't like about this place. Oh and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel....I.hate.THE.Squirrel.Hill.Tunnel.)<br />
<br />
One of the gems that took me way too long to try out for myself was the Strip District. <a href="http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/thestrip/thestripmap.html" target="_blank">The Strip</a> is a half mile square foot section of town just northeast of down town. <br />
Here's a little bit for you history buffs:<br />
<br />
The land that makes up The Strip ws initially developed back in the early 1800's. Due to it's convenient location to the rivers, it was home to iron mills and glass factories. Andrew Carnegie actually had his first iron/steel mill there. In the 19th century wholesale produce merchants entered the Strip district because of the close proximity to the railroad tracks. In the 1920's these businesses were booming but then in the 1930's the Great Depression hit along with a major floor to the area and many businesses had to shut their doors. In the 1950's there were 71 produce merchants left and by 1970 less than 25. Today The Strip is still the home to several produce stands but also an array of awesome restaurants and specialty food shoppes. Not to mention numerous street vendors selling anything you can imagine with a Steelers logo on it.<br />
<br />
To read more check out: <a href="http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/thestrip/thestrip.html" target="_blank">Neighbors in the Strip</a><br />
<br />
The first time I experienced the Strip District on a Saturday morning was last year and have to admit was a little overwhelmed. The sidewalks and stores are flooded with people.. some shopping, some playing various instruments, some trying to sell you stuf, and some (like me) were not quite sure where to start! Since I did not know where to go for what, we shuffled in and out many places just buying a schmorgasbord of items. Where do you go for cheese? bread? meats? produce???? <br />
I promised myself the next time I needed a map and a plan. Subsequent trips have been much better and now I have my favorite places.<br />
<br />
Yesterday the weather was absolutely gorgeous so my girlfriends Kendra, Rebecca and Jess, decided to grab brunch and go shopping in the Strip. We ate at an awesome restaurant called Eleven, named as such since it's on 11th street. As we were sipping our brunch cocktails we had to laugh when we realized we had a reservation at 11:00 at Eleven, on 11/11. Weird, we are still waiting for something really cool to happen. This place prides itself on using locally grown food and changes its menu quite frequently. I opted for a crab, leek and white cheddar omelet, it was delicious!<br />
<br />
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Afterwards, with our bellies full, we headed to do some shopping for the last thing we felt like looking at.. FOOD. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; height: 181px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; width: 334px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacW87R-cLOG7MLQ3lBOLQaym1_GnZDQRiw2uxX9iuudCHMxPjOrLYFQZLspLAxidqSZDh2H83GWB2hHuSlQ-KhrD9lsYCmv7FvE_dDQ80iK4UIj8VqiJdm2g2tBJmWAgwDXkQ9f6ZzZVQ/s1600/IMG_2953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiacW87R-cLOG7MLQ3lBOLQaym1_GnZDQRiw2uxX9iuudCHMxPjOrLYFQZLspLAxidqSZDh2H83GWB2hHuSlQ-KhrD9lsYCmv7FvE_dDQ80iK4UIj8VqiJdm2g2tBJmWAgwDXkQ9f6ZzZVQ/s200/IMG_2953.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smallman Street - the main road where produce merchants used to be</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2MFGhwPAwM6DAOrgx4A7YLHodcO04QBaqKFcfEw0Lcliae8CIWf2x2arKWHeJih2ODQXgKeYvGdWnI8LmjyjmJuG9gTG8YhgSuLcljPXsscjmVYeTTQ3iE_jTpbv90kj9Ljyy7KZ0xhe/s1600/IMG_2954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT2MFGhwPAwM6DAOrgx4A7YLHodcO04QBaqKFcfEw0Lcliae8CIWf2x2arKWHeJih2ODQXgKeYvGdWnI8LmjyjmJuG9gTG8YhgSuLcljPXsscjmVYeTTQ3iE_jTpbv90kj9Ljyy7KZ0xhe/s200/IMG_2954.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penn Avenue - parallel to Smallman St where many of the restaurants, specialty shoppes are located</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKbL0HXWiiXFhyphenhyphenI0BwK9x9heSoShJqNDOySpWR1GV6W2YB9EULDgWiKeVs36iHKv293HpgbYbQCFf6j6cUGyoHiZBLDNbh_yVF_y6WgtpPKb1xHgtOGL2w5XiO1ty1VWSWYGYutWFpkE1/s1600/IMG_2955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKbL0HXWiiXFhyphenhyphenI0BwK9x9heSoShJqNDOySpWR1GV6W2YB9EULDgWiKeVs36iHKv293HpgbYbQCFf6j6cUGyoHiZBLDNbh_yVF_y6WgtpPKb1xHgtOGL2w5XiO1ty1VWSWYGYutWFpkE1/s320/IMG_2955.JPG" width="320" /></a>First stop: <strong>Pennsylvania Macaroni Company</strong><br />
This tops my list for best places in the strip to buy cheese, pasta, and olive oil. Yesterday wasn't too bad but on Saturday mornings you should see the line for the cheese counter. I've learned you take your number, do your shopping and come back and you will still be waiting a little bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyL5WxpUrApcMLUrGthO-PtO1rPbxkpSIRY4GebYH7WTnGvuV1Zel3DeHk7F7HLQDoDUgQdwaVjpPOFv6Z69ygQ0oUDuILvI9gbyBF6a9DjKML40Cu6V8Cao0wFUMvboTqncJRhxaBu3qX/s1600/IMG_2957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyL5WxpUrApcMLUrGthO-PtO1rPbxkpSIRY4GebYH7WTnGvuV1Zel3DeHk7F7HLQDoDUgQdwaVjpPOFv6Z69ygQ0oUDuILvI9gbyBF6a9DjKML40Cu6V8Cao0wFUMvboTqncJRhxaBu3qX/s320/IMG_2957.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyl7opMOFkI8x7nUHjfg6o2qF1eg7g9Ob0iunZOm3cRbvOaqER7n1U0ms20SrbxV7uKv4XHv13MihcbniGsOKlIlu5VvgFtfYsBKVwODx_PfyeulMQkUtjnb16-q2XWj6gO25EhcAzL2x/s1600/IMG_2956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheyl7opMOFkI8x7nUHjfg6o2qF1eg7g9Ob0iunZOm3cRbvOaqER7n1U0ms20SrbxV7uKv4XHv13MihcbniGsOKlIlu5VvgFtfYsBKVwODx_PfyeulMQkUtjnb16-q2XWj6gO25EhcAzL2x/s320/IMG_2956.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Next stop: <strong>Enrico's Biscotti</strong><br />
All different flavors of (you guessed it) biscotti! I didn't buy any yesterday but I enjoy the traditional flavors like Almond and Anise. They even make Doggie Biscotti in a Peanut Butter flavor which Izzy loves. <br />
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Next stop: <strong>Mancini's Bread for a Pepperoni Roll</strong><br />
You can't go to the Strip without buying a pepperoni roll from the street stand for $5.00. I have to admit, Mancini's is not my favorite for this, Sunseri Bros. is but they are closed on Sunday. When my parents visited earlier this year, my dad had a blast heckling the guy that stands on the corner screaming about how big his pepperoni roll is for only $5! <br />
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Next stop: <strong>Public Market for Coconut Macaroons</strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY4v1UI1ulVMKsNdT4bWhCBOvq-8sksRwOnfuO7K3cuZ2IpqSzD4R4PxHIv6dDGqzh5oX5z9EY8kTCbAzLdqjxd5hD9bntDUmmJxfa2bvTEbxM7QkbxJ4mayDeHQ2Gh0eri7c_jKw-umV/s1600/IMG_2959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY4v1UI1ulVMKsNdT4bWhCBOvq-8sksRwOnfuO7K3cuZ2IpqSzD4R4PxHIv6dDGqzh5oX5z9EY8kTCbAzLdqjxd5hD9bntDUmmJxfa2bvTEbxM7QkbxJ4mayDeHQ2Gh0eri7c_jKw-umV/s320/IMG_2959.JPG" width="240" /></a>Some days the dessert vendor is in front of Penn Mac, but the last two trips they have been inside the Public Market which is actually in the building where many of the old produce merchents used to reside. There are a variety of vendors inside some with homemade pierogies, others with craft beers, soaps, meats, etc. I bee-lined to pick up some macaroons, baklava and brownies for Sunday dinner dessert and they were scrumptious. <em>(Oops, I didn't mean that, remember I'm trying to be healthy this week!)</em><br />
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Other places I recommend that we didn't check out yesterday are <strong>Parma</strong> for italian sausage and <strong>Wholey's</strong> seafood for the freshest fish you'll find in the burgh. If you are from the burgh, what other places do you suggest?<br />
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For those of you who many travel to Pittsburgh someday, you must check this out. <br />
You will feel like a pro since I'm telling you where to go so don't be intimidated!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-80764138895916598812012-11-09T15:23:00.001-08:002012-11-09T15:23:42.699-08:00TGIF... kinda"It's Friday, Friday, gonna get down on Friday... Everybody's lookin forward to the weekend, weekend..." <br />
Like the not-so-famous words of Rebecca Black, I too look forward to the end of a long week and a couple days to catch up with the rest of life. BUT there is one thing I do not look forward to. <br />
Dun..dun...dunnnnn........<br />
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Friday is my weigh in day for Weight Watchers.<br />
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I hesitated going here with my blog because let's face it, this thing makes me accountable now for following through and sticking with it. I can easily face my own defeat on weeks where I know I didn't exercise or eat well, but having to admit them to someone else. That sucks. <br />
It seems a lot easier to commit to updating my house, (that's fun!) than committing to dieting, (not fun!) But bottom line is I need motivation and if I find it through this channel, great! If not, then oh well you just hear me complain about why my pants don't fit. :)<br />
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Losing weight has always been a challenge for me. I wasn't born a size 2 and never had the metabolism of super model, but I'm noticing as I'm getting older, it's becoming harder. Just like we were all warned about! I feel like physically whatever metabolism I did have is slowing down and also my lifestyle and eating habits are changing. Prior to getting married I was totally cool with cereal or crackers/cheese for dinner, now I actually have REAL meals. Like meat and stuff. <br />
I talked before about some of the challenges with working from home and not being able to buy snacks that would tempt me throughout the day and I've been pretty good with that, but it's what happens when the work day is over that gets me into trouble. <br />
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I decided to join Weight Watchers Online in August for lots of reasons besides just being ticked at myself for gaining all the weight I lost for my wedding and then some back within two years... <br />
1) My sister Sara is getting married in April and her bridesmaid dress color is light yellow, which will be SO not forgiving. <br />
2) We have a vacation planned in May to the Riviera Maya and I really want to be able to wear all those cute bathing suits I bought for my honeymoon again. <br />
3) Was super motivated by seeing two of my friends on Facebook lose a lot of weight recently using Weight Watchers <br />
4) John started working out and dropped 20 lbs almost instantly, NOT FAIR.<br />
5) Confirmed my company/health insurance benefits covered Weight Watchers almost 100% and had no excuse!<br />
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I had used Weight Watchers in the past with success but this with mostly through the WW at work program where you went to meetings and weighed in with a person every week. With the online program you are completely on your own in terms of tracking and weighing in which does lessen some of the pressure. <br />
The program has changed since I did it a few years ago and it took awhile to get used to certain foods being worth more / less points than before. The greatest thing is that fruits are 0 points now and that was always a complaint I had with the old program when a banana was worth 2 points and so was a snack bag of chips, I'm choosing the chips!<br />
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Within the first month this time around, I logged my food everyday and lost 5 lbs. I was feeling great about my success and here's where the downfall happens. It feels like immediately once I see results I feel like I can let go a little and then my progress stops. It's funny how I forecasted I would see that same 5 lb weight loss every month going forward if I just stuck with it and here I am at the beginning of November with just that same 5 lbs on my weight loss chart, and not the 20 lbs that I was hoping I would be at.<br />
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I know what my problem is, the math is quite simple when you are counting calories in and what is being burned each day. I just need to get serious about what I'm eating and kick up my exercise routine a notch. (...more on that in a future post)<br />
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So here it goes... I'm committing to record all of my meals and stay within my allotted point values for this week so I will have something positive to share next Friday... <em>gosh, I hope I don't mess this up!</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-18043141512111356682012-11-06T10:55:00.001-08:002012-11-06T18:54:22.954-08:0024 hour kitchen updateWe had no plans for the weekend. John thought he was going to get to relax and watch football. I thought it was the perfect time for us to start tackling the kitchen. <br />
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I won. <br />
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I've been debating for quite awhile about what to do with our little kitchen. There have been numerous times where I thought I had it figured out but when it comes down to spending the money and making it happen, it never pans out. What's hard about kitchen updates is you never know where to draw the line. <br />
If you update the cabinets, should you update the counter tops? then you need to update the sink? and then is it worth updating all the appliances? It feels like one change, leads to many, turning what was supposed to be a small project, into a big one. <br />
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Updating the living room floor prompted me into revisiting this kitchen project. The threshold where the new wood floors meet the old linoleum floors looked pretty bad, and it is one of the most walked upon parts of our house. This juncture highlighted how old and worn the kitchen floors were. Not to mention two years ago John and I painted the kitchen a light tan color, but after it dried it looked more like peach. So I figured, if we're going to update the floors, we might as well paint too.<br />
(Like I said, one change, always leads to another...)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcIHWUZcTtME6XbJqd2HODcopbiSGeBG42tqXA1MA6in-YVuyYE3FI-Ujx5TO2Zbv9U8GLHF42gGOMVwOz_b8Fzx3d7zRxI9af8ve705JDxr_PBD4Y5bSyOvfaxZx_ZdeHo979ITUgJ8E/s1600/IMG_2930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcIHWUZcTtME6XbJqd2HODcopbiSGeBG42tqXA1MA6in-YVuyYE3FI-Ujx5TO2Zbv9U8GLHF42gGOMVwOz_b8Fzx3d7zRxI9af8ve705JDxr_PBD4Y5bSyOvfaxZx_ZdeHo979ITUgJ8E/s320/IMG_2930.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen before</td></tr></tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooY3Z2B4weS_6y58rryCtrKTLowEF41BpFgAkuQWtltAsCiWRW2_fLE8FoQor90CwNrZ9g30GarsVYXwg5r54IqRSrfxSXJ9ao-aAOlabYVaFtia7Ih8wX4bdHxHABHr69n1bVhBwnk41/s1600/IMG_2929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhooY3Z2B4weS_6y58rryCtrKTLowEF41BpFgAkuQWtltAsCiWRW2_fLE8FoQor90CwNrZ9g30GarsVYXwg5r54IqRSrfxSXJ9ao-aAOlabYVaFtia7Ih8wX4bdHxHABHr69n1bVhBwnk41/s320/IMG_2929.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen before</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
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Now, I didn't want to go spending a ton of money on this. While people say the kitchen is one of the most important rooms for updates when selling your house, I also need to keep in mind, people are not going to buy this place because they want a spacious gourmet kitchen. So the easy and cheap solution was vinyl floor tiles and a new coat of paint. <br />
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If you haven't used vinyl floor tiles before, they are great for projects like this. Ridiculously easy to install and relatively inexpensive compared to other flooring options that are out there. <br />
I began my search online for different patterns that were available at Lowes and found this one that got great reviews and seemed to match nicely with the wood. The best part was it was on <strong>clearance</strong>! <br />
I measured the space to determine how many tiles I would need, since most of these tiles come in 12x12 squares, ended up I needed 90 to complete the kitchen. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzWyOD-wJwJQYrhZNbX44z8vyTwXuVUXRjSoWFGABgJ9KKb4QSphe6VYLwGGA-1mGuJr_x16bDNDie8orcofFZSo8us7PEDDIyWXPjD1coJwU2dtbzID9UMF5mob72heS19Ttkwub3Rvf/s1600/IMG_2944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjzWyOD-wJwJQYrhZNbX44z8vyTwXuVUXRjSoWFGABgJ9KKb4QSphe6VYLwGGA-1mGuJr_x16bDNDie8orcofFZSo8us7PEDDIyWXPjD1coJwU2dtbzID9UMF5mob72heS19Ttkwub3Rvf/s320/IMG_2944.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I called the store to see if they carried this pattern in stock, they did but it wasn't listed for the clearance price. I shared that it was on sale online and the guy ended up putting 90 tiles on hold for me and only charging $0.25 a square foot! Awesome!!! You know I LOVE a good sale. <br />
Friday night we picked it up along with a gallon of a different (more brown) shade of tan.<br />
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The painting went fast since we aren't working with a huge space here. It got a little crowded with the ladder and three of us working together. Someone may have bumped into the wall and was not happy about her new hair color.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3W5FaUk-T_DHtmz-NhNZF81K5jozFqTDyIqzFP0Y0WriaiQ4eSEezzH9v1HP9OFPA0NImOjKRvYZbUjMGjjqIrZyVlXSLZuij_skXDYHvAFUiN8orxd3_vWOlbvhjJD2EO28WNiZVYs5I/s1600/IMG_2933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3W5FaUk-T_DHtmz-NhNZF81K5jozFqTDyIqzFP0Y0WriaiQ4eSEezzH9v1HP9OFPA0NImOjKRvYZbUjMGjjqIrZyVlXSLZuij_skXDYHvAFUiN8orxd3_vWOlbvhjJD2EO28WNiZVYs5I/s320/IMG_2933.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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A little tip for painting... Have you used one of these gadgets before? it's called the <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_40657-1077-100C_0__?productId=3143337&Ntt=paint+edger&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dpaint%2Bedger&facetInfo=" target="_blank">Shur-line Classic Paint Edger</a>. If you haven't, it's worth every penny. You'll never use that blue tape again, it's AMAZING!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcx5L_ndM_7WOLcpI9IBDQ_FdqyQ5Axv4RCof6ED5W-U1DCb2u7pNiPgBxXXAJFio7LU7MSUrhS-IOIUgmCUdgnWs8WXO1u5pBy14WXnJtERCLBsTA8m4HL8UHVa-0giof_n0sDh2pvxns/s1600/022384001008lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcx5L_ndM_7WOLcpI9IBDQ_FdqyQ5Axv4RCof6ED5W-U1DCb2u7pNiPgBxXXAJFio7LU7MSUrhS-IOIUgmCUdgnWs8WXO1u5pBy14WXnJtERCLBsTA8m4HL8UHVa-0giof_n0sDh2pvxns/s1600/022384001008lg.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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We got the first coat of paint completed Friday night and Saturday morning, round two was done. We let it dry, confirmed it was NOT peach and started with the floor tiles. Now for us, it was pretty easy because the existing floor was a 12x12 tile pattern, so we just needed to match up the lines to what they were before. I can imagine this will take longer if you don't have lines to work from. The hardest part was figuring out a pattern to lay the tiles with the design and the places where a full tile wouldn't fit and you needed to make cuts. We used an exacto knife but these tiles were thin enough that I could use scissors for smaller cuts. The tiles already had adhesive on the back so it was a matter of peeling of the protective paper and plopping it down where it needs to go. Ta-da! It's so simple!<br />
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Lastly a fresh coat of white paint on the baseboards and we were all done in under 24 hours.<br />
Well worth the $50 bucks for the tiles and paint! <br />
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.... but now with the new floors and wall color, the counter tops are looking pretty bad... perhaps they are next... there's always something!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-9305415697961377612012-11-01T14:55:00.000-07:002012-11-01T14:56:41.527-07:00life. october 2012I'm still trying to get the hang of this blog thing... what to write about, when to write, how much, how little... a lot has been going on but it doesn't seem like I should dedicate posts to every thing that happens. Reading this thing would become a full time job for you, and trust me, my life is not THAT interesting <em>most days</em>. So my plan is on the first of every month, I'll provide a life update post for all those things that happened that I didn't catch along the way that are worth sharing (in my opinion!). <br />
Keep in mind, I've completely cut other forms of contact with my family and are providing them updates on my life strictly through this blog now so I need to be detailed so they know I am alive.<br />
<em>just kidding</em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #b45f06;"><strong>Oh October, where did you go?!</strong></span></em><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #351c75;">Turned the BIG 3-0!</span></strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGByzAse9kdlkN6MK42hUmsSeraCfuSjq65kvWGfhIVoKr8zKqbzMIcrXmu17pNF_15bCF2uIiKvkkzaYgqrFK4CDbdddjs3ZL16OT4F3w094Ymr_pUYHBhkXi3rJunTnZi41TGvJyQBbF/s1600/IMG_1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGByzAse9kdlkN6MK42hUmsSeraCfuSjq65kvWGfhIVoKr8zKqbzMIcrXmu17pNF_15bCF2uIiKvkkzaYgqrFK4CDbdddjs3ZL16OT4F3w094Ymr_pUYHBhkXi3rJunTnZi41TGvJyQBbF/s200/IMG_1219.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="color: black;">I enjoyed the final days of my youthful 20's and rocked in the 30's with friends and family at Sing Sing, a piano bar. I can't decide if the highlight of the night was the piano player calling me up on stage and singing to me about private parts (as my in-laws walked in) or the video I found on my phone the next day of John and friend's dancing their butts off. Honestly there was more booty shaking than a Beyonce music video. Either way, we had a blast and paid for it for many days later. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">First sign, that I'm not longer in my twenties.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsC5due5ZNJ-gCTZ4rXHPdDZAG0vTr0rjKeg7B29AcDHkd2J0Bfpsgv7JVv82ZJNRpUy8DgfTd38_JYi55ZGhY3NyU-qTkaAV27lBJTQcT05wD4R6NGYqBvMV5zdZ1J30glW631PZOKqg/s1600/599018_10102848097272051_1735528850_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsC5due5ZNJ-gCTZ4rXHPdDZAG0vTr0rjKeg7B29AcDHkd2J0Bfpsgv7JVv82ZJNRpUy8DgfTd38_JYi55ZGhY3NyU-qTkaAV27lBJTQcT05wD4R6NGYqBvMV5zdZ1J30glW631PZOKqg/s200/599018_10102848097272051_1735528850_n.jpg" width="150" /></a><strong><span style="color: #741b47;"></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Welcome to the world Mia Frances!</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">My cousin Mimi and her husband Brian welcomed their first baby Mia Frances, into the world on October 8th. </span>They live in Florida so I haven't had a chance to meet her yet, but I cannot wait. It will be so exciting with my nephew Joey (Sara's baby) being so close in age. I wish we all lived closer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFh2gF0NyMX66tysQ88mu864WsaUzTXG00EC0oAcELGSuwOQUK1cx72nl-eBg4TTzglrYSwWQeRFXrFzgbwSIwSLxn0-B3uE3Pb9-Gzsnfxd_6G-71VtD61SrIDVzF-FZVxgQoQ8XMg3Xm/s1600/IMG_2696%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFh2gF0NyMX66tysQ88mu864WsaUzTXG00EC0oAcELGSuwOQUK1cx72nl-eBg4TTzglrYSwWQeRFXrFzgbwSIwSLxn0-B3uE3Pb9-Gzsnfxd_6G-71VtD61SrIDVzF-FZVxgQoQ8XMg3Xm/s200/IMG_2696%5B1%5D.JPG" width="150" /></a><strong><span style="color: #274e13;">What? Oktoberfest isn't in October?</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">It's been on my bucket list to go to Penn Brewery during Oktoberfest and check out what it's all about. So one Friday night along with my friends Kendra and Jane, we decided to go. Apparently I was wrong for thinking this would happen during the month of October, it actually happens in September. So needless to say this will remain on my bucket list but we did get to drink some great beer at the brewery and partake in some delicious German food. I tried Buffalo Chicken Pierogies, which I'm sure is not traditional at all and of course pretzels and beer cheese! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHbVuWll1OBuXgWm5IBM7y8iEX-OUZYKm9iz9jEr9MA1n-g7tea5GikQsxOTUbXYAgryDDkSVjDd0nkyiGUMNDl1oue-GclWE0RaNlxfLJLOPhQ9bTwnYw6_Qrsvfl0J4qBimF98whQlQ/s1600/IMG_2885%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHbVuWll1OBuXgWm5IBM7y8iEX-OUZYKm9iz9jEr9MA1n-g7tea5GikQsxOTUbXYAgryDDkSVjDd0nkyiGUMNDl1oue-GclWE0RaNlxfLJLOPhQ9bTwnYw6_Qrsvfl0J4qBimF98whQlQ/s200/IMG_2885%5B1%5D.JPG" width="150" /></a><strong><span style="color: magenta;">Julia turns 3!</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">My niece Julia turned three this pastTuesday and her birthday party was at McDonalds. Not just any McDonalds, but the world famous McDonalds that has a Big Mac museum (and a pretty awesome playground!) Guaging by the running around, screams and smiles on their faces, the kids had a blast! It's been so fun seeing the dynamic change each year at her birthday parties as the same group of kids grow up together. Julia loves princesses right now and I am pretty sure she received every single Disney princess item that is sold at Target, Walmart and Toys R Us! I can't imagine what Santa will bring in a couple months!</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #666666;">Just dandy, Hurricane Sandy</span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">This past week many of us have been impacted in one way or another by Hurricane Sandy (<em>or should I say Super Storm)</em> that hit the north east coast. My heart goes out to all of those that have lost loved ones, their houses, and other precious belongings. I was especially worried about my sister Lauren and brother in law Ryan that live in New Jersey, less than 2 miles from the beach. Fortunately they are safe, with no damage to their house, but still without power. I've also had several friends ask about my grandmother's beach house in Fenwick Island, Delaware which is just north of Ocean City, Maryland and it also appears that everything is fine there too.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">In the Burgh, it's still raining. We didn't have any flooding, but the ceiling in our bedroom closet started leaking Monday night with all the wind and rain. The leak stopped Tuesday morning so now it's just another thing to add to the list of projects for this place. </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: large;">I am hoping the sun will come out in November, it's been almost a week since I've seen it!!</span></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-77527546390769157152012-10-31T17:15:00.002-07:002012-11-01T09:26:32.942-07:00happy halloweenIt's typically mid Summer when the question comes up amongst my friends, "so what are you being this year?!" and then the panic sets in when I have no clue.<br />
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Weeks go into searching online for different ideas as to what to dress up as for Halloween. And while I've always enjoyed this holiday growing up trick or treating, I still love dressing up even as an adult. I usually make my costumes rather than buying pre-packaged ones, thinking that I save a lot of money, which in many cases isn't always worth it given how much time I've spent searching Gabes for ladies construction boots, or Goodwill for a leather vest. This has resulted in a nice collection of wigs and random paraphenalia that I'll likely never use again. <br />
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Growing up, we didn't live in a neighborhood, so we were those people who's parents would drive us to other neighborhoods to go trick or treating. I remember there was one house where a man would hide with a chain saw and just hearing the roar of it would send all the kids running and screaming. For some reason we still went back there every year, testing ourselves to see if we were still petrified.<br />
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When we were done all four of us kids, would come home dump our sacks of candy on the table, trying to determine who had the biggest pile. Then there was the "inspection" by Dad to see if any candy looked "suspicious". These would end up in his bowl of candy. Funny we didn't catch onto that until later in life. Then the trading amongst each other would begin, <em>I'll give you my Snickers for your Reeses Peanut Butter cups! </em>We were so worried about who had the most candy, even though there was no way we could ever eat it all.<br />
As I've grown up, I miss the excitement of trick of treating. With all of the places I've lived, there have never been children around to trick or treat. (Ha! This may be why I miss it!) I've bought candy and waited anxiously for the door bell to ring, but it never does. I'm sure when we move this next time it will be a different story and I'll probably be complaining about how I have to buy all this candy!<br />
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So back to the costumes. Halloween costumes became a big deal in college where (yes I am admitting) most girls, including myself found it as an excuse to wear things they would NEVER wear in public. There were always so many Halloween parties to go to, and often times we'd be to the point we were sick of wearing the same thing so many nights in a row. Post college, we tamed it down a bit and usually it was one party and the dress was a little more conservative. <br />
<em>It's cold in October, what were we thinking in those short skirts?!</em><br />
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Of course it is fun dressing up yourself, but it's even more fun seeing what everyone else is wearing. Last year we went to Stage AE on the North Shore in Pittsburgh and there were so many awesome costumes. One of the local radio hosts dressed as<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1920&bih=940&tbm=isch&tbnid=iYXSghQntEf6ZM:&imgrefurl=http://www.wpxi.com/photo/entertainment/961-kiss-halloween-party/pJLyC/&docid=CYs7vGuksbPpIM&imgurl=http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/615/img/photos/2011/10/29/Kiss_Halloween_023.jpg&w=615&h=922&ei=PGyQUJeqB4er0AHl-oGIDA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=289&sig=109696166583844801174&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=104&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,i:69&tx=63&ty=65" target="_blank"> Abby Lee Miller</a> from Dance Moms and he looked just like her! This year he was <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1920&bih=940&tbm=isch&tbnid=tH3Bl8LL0zNlEM:&imgrefurl=http://www.facebook.com/mikeybigbob&docid=B_E6SrXG935-AM&imgurl=http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/c0.0.403.403/p403x403/311274_10151292523727812_1661446148_n.jpg&w=403&h=403&ei=PGyQUJeqB4er0AHl-oGIDA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=205&sig=109696166583844801174&page=1&tbnh=150&tbnw=152&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,i:73&tx=90&ty=117" target="_blank">Honey Boo Boo</a>. Ridiculous.<br />
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I am a little sad to report that I did not dress up this year, this is the first time in awhile. That's not to say I didn't get in the Halloween spirit, I did. Last Friday, we went to <a href="http://phantomfrightnights.com/" target="_blank">Fright Night</a> at Kennywood with friends and had a blast, even got a little skerred! (Mostly from riding roller coasters in the pitch black). <br />
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So in honor of halloween's past and my lack of costume/creativity this year, I want to reminisce a bit. Please don't judge, people!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQ0SYmJJ6Bf1Q0nnJ12c4t0BB7fjv809scKP8p4Q7gUaHIDUJWsqerlKj77ZFu0ycCpFPg8uJHUc9Fpep75rP27z9l8TAkPQnwDnlrjI7m5O7Cp9ky6KuUXXiPMnlmfZHdt0OBWPSfpVy/s1600/IMG_2907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQ0SYmJJ6Bf1Q0nnJ12c4t0BB7fjv809scKP8p4Q7gUaHIDUJWsqerlKj77ZFu0ycCpFPg8uJHUc9Fpep75rP27z9l8TAkPQnwDnlrjI7m5O7Cp9ky6KuUXXiPMnlmfZHdt0OBWPSfpVy/s200/IMG_2907.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: #20124d;"><strong>Freshmen year Flapper.</strong></span></em> <br />
Pretty conservative. Dad would be proud!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRb2-P56ievqplpKd4GuFvKYhZGqX12Bhhx4W2V7Uy8ELt-b12gZaKMpPzl7P5iHkNM8GW7qVYlsTE4lp9b83q5RxjIRfJjf5RlAOsWnIxT_KN2IqRgacymkP0bANfuAwzb0e7VUfo9uM/s1600/IMG_2906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRb2-P56ievqplpKd4GuFvKYhZGqX12Bhhx4W2V7Uy8ELt-b12gZaKMpPzl7P5iHkNM8GW7qVYlsTE4lp9b83q5RxjIRfJjf5RlAOsWnIxT_KN2IqRgacymkP0bANfuAwzb0e7VUfo9uM/s200/IMG_2906.JPG" width="150" /></a><br />
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<strong><em>Sophomore year Police Officer.</em></strong> <br />
Uh oh, seriously, no need to show the stomach. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCdYjcHAMdXdQ8H7ZngXdYUzHNjsdCFNI8LSVQ2_LAw_4i3_hKmtE20_aPdb2vlmOBVmeKle3LRbUn7T_hreI4Qk9iftHo8lmNXr-L4QsezwY2BYFg3hVEtA48rkw0yrgk1cFcSWvEJbA/s1600/IMG_2910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCdYjcHAMdXdQ8H7ZngXdYUzHNjsdCFNI8LSVQ2_LAw_4i3_hKmtE20_aPdb2vlmOBVmeKle3LRbUn7T_hreI4Qk9iftHo8lmNXr-L4QsezwY2BYFg3hVEtA48rkw0yrgk1cFcSWvEJbA/s320/IMG_2910.JPG" width="240" /></a><strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Junior year Mafia girl</em></strong>. <br />
Couldn't get John to dress up this year.<br />
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<strong><em>Senior year Referee</em></strong>. I can't find any pictures of this! I remember a long blonde wig though and not wanting to spend money on a real ref shirt so I painted black lines on a white tee.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FOnJXkeFOEmpfZ93e5iiVUmzX0RMc6VqDgXHu24RV4cdzuS4Sk6pU2Qwii0FOWY1Knb0FYgWSwsLuiXsmV0JiITiQO3fJrOT1v7K54o6hMSryJerA47Ep7GJFqFjSd_NC4GK6OQ8h-La/s1600/IMG_2911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8FOnJXkeFOEmpfZ93e5iiVUmzX0RMc6VqDgXHu24RV4cdzuS4Sk6pU2Qwii0FOWY1Knb0FYgWSwsLuiXsmV0JiITiQO3fJrOT1v7K54o6hMSryJerA47Ep7GJFqFjSd_NC4GK6OQ8h-La/s320/IMG_2911.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<strong><em>Homewrecker.</em></strong> <br />
All time favorite. I just cannot get over those boots, I wish I knew where they went. (Pretty sure the only thing I can get John to dress up as is a construction worker)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeFt6QIPLy7bmpun2rLT_-QUDr2xneLRNqXyKQWjf_ThalEUx74JSTpddhNBRbpeLolLhgBka0W-RBu5-iSeGoLzQLXMWvPU90Uh5-QZsPYkaSBtZMMGlBNVk1F8XN4Wzk7rRLH1U4pbS/s1600/IMG_2909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixeFt6QIPLy7bmpun2rLT_-QUDr2xneLRNqXyKQWjf_ThalEUx74JSTpddhNBRbpeLolLhgBka0W-RBu5-iSeGoLzQLXMWvPU90Uh5-QZsPYkaSBtZMMGlBNVk1F8XN4Wzk7rRLH1U4pbS/s320/IMG_2909.JPG" width="320" /></a><strong><em></em></strong><br />
<strong><em>Flight attendant.</em></strong> <br />
John was a pilot. Duh, didn't you see that patch on his pocket? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1J5OPTmDlKLffrvVwUkKTF5pcbvDZ3T8LDq8bgVCnQL2_MRlL6RMt1erQuygaC3SsZjRM0TobcUcEYcCXs82Buw2dmtMpiRDKaI0JqNq9rYWYj8eGatfy3p2OndAxI4r0QvEH38epQyTR/s1600/Sarah+Palin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1J5OPTmDlKLffrvVwUkKTF5pcbvDZ3T8LDq8bgVCnQL2_MRlL6RMt1erQuygaC3SsZjRM0TobcUcEYcCXs82Buw2dmtMpiRDKaI0JqNq9rYWYj8eGatfy3p2OndAxI4r0QvEH38epQyTR/s320/Sarah+Palin.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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<strong><em>Sarah Palin</em></strong>. <br />
It was an election year and I remember people requesting to get pictures with me. John was McCain. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH9uD09NrFfMCTlA92ZFWBP4KB7nQw1vfF0M0habE3GbIrUFF6263UFuRk9U92lCMr_r643GDo6vzX4SN7hGzj9IhOUbDF7X0TCoR5-AGiVkaApht8TtBR_vWzvwisFOunxYBw30tUUFB/s1600/IMG_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH9uD09NrFfMCTlA92ZFWBP4KB7nQw1vfF0M0habE3GbIrUFF6263UFuRk9U92lCMr_r643GDo6vzX4SN7hGzj9IhOUbDF7X0TCoR5-AGiVkaApht8TtBR_vWzvwisFOunxYBw30tUUFB/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" width="213" /></a><br />
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<strong><em>Betty Rubble</em></strong>. <br />
Ok I did cheat here and buy a pre-packaged costume!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKai49qdItiJuHk6o7HyxbCsRpqTl6ufg59u2jklFYMRB0G5orxUGFKr5XIvXvRrtgyoU3GVCVudwEC0uKDsVgVxwGSf9HgqECVAFlxVOo__cfMwbUTGHhuamKhxBDP2Bs1LLt2tJz8Ycu/s1600/Kat+von+D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKai49qdItiJuHk6o7HyxbCsRpqTl6ufg59u2jklFYMRB0G5orxUGFKr5XIvXvRrtgyoU3GVCVudwEC0uKDsVgVxwGSf9HgqECVAFlxVOo__cfMwbUTGHhuamKhxBDP2Bs1LLt2tJz8Ycu/s320/Kat+von+D.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<em><strong>Kat Von D</strong></em>. <br />
Another favorite. I still wear those tattoo sleeves occasionally.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5e-7EYFrG6YuDmlpxwlY4XLAwEvWfKOBFb8XjLVh2-7jD_dlljXEjdHZiq_0ksMB18xZKduL8mvwba7TZHTd_7RgRRvsi1GRvPN5ePPfj7_EXn1WXr83tYXxmhtIUZko7VuBcHZpr0tD/s1600/Flo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5e-7EYFrG6YuDmlpxwlY4XLAwEvWfKOBFb8XjLVh2-7jD_dlljXEjdHZiq_0ksMB18xZKduL8mvwba7TZHTd_7RgRRvsi1GRvPN5ePPfj7_EXn1WXr83tYXxmhtIUZko7VuBcHZpr0tD/s320/Flo.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
<strong><em>Flo.</em></strong> <br />
I thought I was being unique until I realized Progessive has an entire site providing instruction on how to dress up like her!<br />
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<strong><em>Bumble Bee</em></strong>. <br />
Izzy from a few years ago, she wishes her old costumes still fit her too :)<br />
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</a><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">H<span style="color: orange;">a</span>p<span style="color: orange;">p</span>y <span style="color: orange;">H</span>a<span style="color: orange;">l</span>l<span style="color: orange;">o</span>w<span style="color: orange;">e</span>e<span style="color: orange;">n</span>!</span></strong><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-66628057613856651582012-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:002012-11-01T09:18:21.336-07:00new floorsA couple weeks back I shared that John was going to be taking on a DIY project of ripping up the carpet and putting down new wood floors on the main level of our townhouse. This is a project I have been long awaiting, and is the first step to getting this place in decent shape to put on the market. <br />
<em>Why is that everyone waits until they are ready to move out to make all the improvements you've been wanting to do?</em><br />
So while I spent last weekend relaxing with my friends, my awesome husband, brother-in-law Justin, and father-in-law were busy here beginning the transformation. <br />
John picked up all of the materials Thursday morning at the crack of dawn when the store opened for their big sale. It was worth the wait, he ended up saving $150 by waiting the extra week!<br />
<em>I love a good sale!</em><br />
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The first step was ripping up the carpet, which wasn't that bad until John and Justin saw what was under the carpet. A million staples! Nervous that these staples would make the new boards lay uneven, they spent a good part of the day just removing staples from the subfloor. Poor Justin was sick but still suffered through it so John wasn't doing this incredibly boring task alone.<br />
I was working at home on Thursday while this was going on, so periodically I would go downstairs to check on them, expecting to see the new floors and they were STILL ripping up staples! <br />
Once that was finished, things seem to progess pretty quickly. They were able to lay about a quarter of the room that night before calling it a day. From what I could see, I could already tell I was going to love it!<br />
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On Friday more help arrived and now John had his dad and Justin to help move things along. The house was in shambles with saws, hammering, dust, boards, nails, and STAPLES so it was the perfect time for me to leave and let them do their thing. So Izzy and I headed to DC for some QT with the girls.<br />
Over the weekend when I talked to John on the phone I could tell he was exhausted. As with any home project, nothing goes quite as fast or as easy as you have planned but when it's all done and you see the finished product, somehow it's all worth it.<br />
And when I walked through the door on Sunday night I knew why he was so exhausted, the floors looked awesome!! <br />
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<strong><span style="color: #741b47;">BEFORE:</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7jOid_DJGZXNdtxcUoNXqBs4zj16nEFLbg46QwTv_Nwtt8EqdAqINXf0DdK7ZfNbtlr_v1ue9LaXCUv39n3vg4Kp7_AdLsMmYATbnS2zgtvvPbEo5pyjwKNCslv4_OTApZdal9gVYp54/s1600/IMG_2756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7jOid_DJGZXNdtxcUoNXqBs4zj16nEFLbg46QwTv_Nwtt8EqdAqINXf0DdK7ZfNbtlr_v1ue9LaXCUv39n3vg4Kp7_AdLsMmYATbnS2zgtvvPbEo5pyjwKNCslv4_OTApZdal9gVYp54/s320/IMG_2756.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7eH4UIZs7Uauz_trdR9SwXrX3pBswmngfBWGqfwsdEG4CD_OsbH4pQ_FiMf8P0XEiSnVL4hojnfG2ewYjlqrKOGJYODClhQ5bzab5oT4d99KjhhDnnRgNYM573o9g39RV-nXPbeNdAcO/s1600/IMG_2688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7eH4UIZs7Uauz_trdR9SwXrX3pBswmngfBWGqfwsdEG4CD_OsbH4pQ_FiMf8P0XEiSnVL4hojnfG2ewYjlqrKOGJYODClhQ5bzab5oT4d99KjhhDnnRgNYM573o9g39RV-nXPbeNdAcO/s320/IMG_2688.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvh1AmItLWdsNaAdSqMr7JHGV3VLkkaoR4TbcEPLXxvMcbYdmtyryicNqzDXRgw89Th9oWyJDgNQcxmxLVfh6Zlguq9a_baBSWn6muLg368gQ7gebsZx0DiMoBrMCfOFbj9IQZdY67n0lj/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvh1AmItLWdsNaAdSqMr7JHGV3VLkkaoR4TbcEPLXxvMcbYdmtyryicNqzDXRgw89Th9oWyJDgNQcxmxLVfh6Zlguq9a_baBSWn6muLg368gQ7gebsZx0DiMoBrMCfOFbj9IQZdY67n0lj/s320/IMG_2759.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">izzy was not happy her carpet was going away</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">AFTER!!!!</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kCA16GMC-Ee7oz3MmvMbAjnIDXUuyMMgeVmmW66RLNwOfkKmllAq2TmapIBd7-THe-7KGzt4_ZvW5-r8bpxeUENZQRNYQ1AIUECeTHiuafdGXEeingjQoZDA6HLDoFTTDJW9ek8C1liS/s1600/IMG_2853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kCA16GMC-Ee7oz3MmvMbAjnIDXUuyMMgeVmmW66RLNwOfkKmllAq2TmapIBd7-THe-7KGzt4_ZvW5-r8bpxeUENZQRNYQ1AIUECeTHiuafdGXEeingjQoZDA6HLDoFTTDJW9ek8C1liS/s320/IMG_2853.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgMLtJPCZF31hQxHkZ8Nz3m3dDz3JPAaixJsK1SQqoXwuRe1WqovEvQiVdAbfgpLVFZT6UDhZCtC_lyNmahxsfGAzZpNceFbUlJ6djj01-PqMvt2zuGXt_IN1WxksKNvbL0WQ7v0UqnP0/s1600/IMG_2849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmgMLtJPCZF31hQxHkZ8Nz3m3dDz3JPAaixJsK1SQqoXwuRe1WqovEvQiVdAbfgpLVFZT6UDhZCtC_lyNmahxsfGAzZpNceFbUlJ6djj01-PqMvt2zuGXt_IN1WxksKNvbL0WQ7v0UqnP0/s320/IMG_2849.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS04HIkyoYV_L6cPzIbTQ7cUQUFLGV89VGmDOS_TREu3U6ona2vvTkA-_065XYBeGxqB4BCtY2ojZKpMTQAnTGZzl2qBHweTFzLyxyNKzn7EV9LV6ex22fCxbC2aqGr4K_TUhEvvw9Ik8/s1600/IMG_2855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS04HIkyoYV_L6cPzIbTQ7cUQUFLGV89VGmDOS_TREu3U6ona2vvTkA-_065XYBeGxqB4BCtY2ojZKpMTQAnTGZzl2qBHweTFzLyxyNKzn7EV9LV6ex22fCxbC2aqGr4K_TUhEvvw9Ik8/s320/IMG_2855.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe4dzdXU6HGIyzfdN4mSKpCfL3v1IDixM0o1sQ2_1YfNzqEsRuatE2oK7Ub3XSOR10xblSseCAicnfpPAvh2rm92_q0UgyNpneiL-uS6w4wvOSl-kLE_0jmr5TvgJU_Gue_pZC-XimfPM/s1600/IMG_2850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOe4dzdXU6HGIyzfdN4mSKpCfL3v1IDixM0o1sQ2_1YfNzqEsRuatE2oK7Ub3XSOR10xblSseCAicnfpPAvh2rm92_q0UgyNpneiL-uS6w4wvOSl-kLE_0jmr5TvgJU_Gue_pZC-XimfPM/s320/IMG_2850.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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It's amazing what a difference it makes! They did such a GREAT job!!<br />
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I am still getting used to vacuuming and swiffering a lot more. Carpet is so forgiving in that regard, but with this I see every little crumb or dog hair! I'm sure as time goes on it will become less noticeable to me, but for now I want them to be spotless. At least for the first month! <br />
The only bad thing is that having these nice, new floors is making everything else in the house look really bad, especially the kitchen... so perhaps that is next...but I think that may require more than just a weekend trip, which may not be so bad afterall ; )<br />
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<em>A big THANK YOU to my father-in-law and Justin for helping John out with this!</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-66045395267705085702012-10-24T15:36:00.004-07:002012-11-01T09:27:25.554-07:00drinks, dogs and DC<br />
The DIY floor construction project had begun at home, which was my signal to pack up and get out!<br />
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With a suitcase filled with way more clothes and shoes <em>(6 pairs to be exact)</em> than one girl needs for a weekend trip, Izzy and I began our journey to Washington DC Friday afternoon. The drive took a little longer than I expected due to the rush hour traffic out of Pittsburgh and the nice site-seeing tour my GPS took me on through downtown DC but we finally arrived at Lisa and her boyfriend Adam's place in Arlington, VA. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq9IbcK8KUc4UqDgb6VaevTaVTetoymVgq0tZGN4gcYdPl-IF3PogSFzBjStquo9_q7x_iFVydX-Hb0TsF7ulmYU9lX4z7KP9okOEoamHfkV6jki3EaVeQg-AT3QrM1zV6V80GhORXAQ9/s1600/IMG_2834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKq9IbcK8KUc4UqDgb6VaevTaVTetoymVgq0tZGN4gcYdPl-IF3PogSFzBjStquo9_q7x_iFVydX-Hb0TsF7ulmYU9lX4z7KP9okOEoamHfkV6jki3EaVeQg-AT3QrM1zV6V80GhORXAQ9/s200/IMG_2834.JPG" width="150" /></a> After hugs, catch-up story telling, watching Izzy steal all of Daisy's toys, and a bottle of wine later, we decided to venture out to the local watering hole, The Liberty Tavern. This place is pretty cool. <br />
In typical fashion we start talking to randoms about Pittsburgh sports, everyone has a connection to the <em>three rivers</em> somehow. We were just about to interrogate the quiet guy in the group for every last detail of his planned wedding proposal when we decided it was a good time to head home and spare mercy on him. <em>Why is it we love to hear details about a proposal for someone we don't even know!</em><br />
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Saturday morning while we anxiously awaited the arrival of Rebecca and Jess, we took our furry babies for a walk around the neighborhood. It was the perfect Fall day and several people were out decorating their houses and yards for Halloween. <br />
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Many had the traditional pumpkins and gourds lining their steps and walkways but others took it to the extreme! This house actually tows a hearse from 3 hours away to put in their yard! They decorate their front and back yards with all sorts of goblins and ghouls. Last year they had over 700 trick or treaters!! <br />
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<em>Can you imagine how much candy they have to buy?!</em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmHIDcWHW7sQk0m8MAN9v-jEvagFkIN3q3OT1BU9LJx_OcQeB_HAi1Xkhb8FfqMr9ThDhr6EZMy127w7Khi3BtJugqfUIf7ZmXRLHo80dLtfT_8RxKGtOVUJubQY3nWFQXqU8mvn1UIW_/s1600/IMG_2794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmHIDcWHW7sQk0m8MAN9v-jEvagFkIN3q3OT1BU9LJx_OcQeB_HAi1Xkhb8FfqMr9ThDhr6EZMy127w7Khi3BtJugqfUIf7ZmXRLHo80dLtfT_8RxKGtOVUJubQY3nWFQXqU8mvn1UIW_/s200/IMG_2794.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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We made it back to the house just in time for the girls to arrive! Laughing so hard tears were coming down their faces, we thought they were just really happy to see us but no, they were actually cracking up from this news video that went viral featuring a lady named Sweet Brown. The way she describes her escape from the fire is just incredible. Thank goodness she is OK!<br />
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From then on the the phrases <em>"the smoke got me!"</em> and <em>"ain't nobody got time for dat!"</em> were part of every conversation this weekend and probably will be for many months to come! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjExhb5ipYQANK8Goyswu0W_aC_2dws6ajd0OJZuuX4R972AFyoO-7QCXWYO11SKE9CyITntL7WASQPOHanXGqodbfnxGCNi1dAWLSmIYrsHHZ4DXue8884QkmeZDJdVbUyE_m7FA8D3g2/s1600/IMG_2808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjExhb5ipYQANK8Goyswu0W_aC_2dws6ajd0OJZuuX4R972AFyoO-7QCXWYO11SKE9CyITntL7WASQPOHanXGqodbfnxGCNi1dAWLSmIYrsHHZ4DXue8884QkmeZDJdVbUyE_m7FA8D3g2/s320/IMG_2808.JPG" width="320" /></a>For brunch, Lisa made reservations in Georgetown at place called <a href="http://www.clydes.com/georgetown#About" target="_blank">Clydes</a>. Anyone that has been to G-town knows it's pretty crowded and on a gorgeous Saturday, it felt like the entire city was out and about! I ordered a Midnight Mimosa which was a delicious twist on a regular mimosa with champagne, chambord, pineapple juice... yummm and the Eggs Chesapeake (poached egges, petit jumbo lump crab cakes on an english muffin topped with old bay hollandaise sauce)... SO GOOD!<br />
I highly recommend this place if you are ever in DC.<br />
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Once our bellies were full we decided to do some window shopping checking out lots of cute specialty shops. Being serenaded by a homeless man and a bag pipe wedding parade provided the perfect sound track to this little adventure :) </div>
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After a few hours of walking around, we were getting tired and figured it was probably a good idea to relieve Adam from watching the two dogs. So we headed home to chill out for a bit before we hit the town again later that night for drinks @ <a href="http://www.circaatclarendon.com/">Circa.</a><br />
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Sunday we all went to the Leesburg outlets since it was on our way back to Pittsburgh. I was really excited when I read online that they were "dog friendly". Shopping! and with Izzy!! And while it is true you can bring your dog and walk around outside, I discovered you cannot bring them inside. <br />
<em>Bubble burst.</em><br />
I'm confused, wouldn't this make every shopping center dog friendly?!?! <br />
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Anyway, that cut my shopping trip short which was probably a good thing since we're trying to save money for this house we're going to buy some day... Sigh. So it was back to Pittsburgh for me, which I was super excited about to see my new floors! (Stay tuned for my next post!)<br />
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Ok so I know you are waiting for the wild and crazy part, and if this was a few years ago, my girl trip stories would probably be a little more exciting to read, but the fact is <strong>we're growing up</strong>. <br />
<em>And I am OK with that.</em> <br />
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Don't get me wrong, we still have our wild and crazy times, but they are becoming less frequent. <br />
Just hanging out with each other and catching up over wine and cheese is just as fun. <br />
<em>Often times a lot of wine and cheese! </em><br />
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Life is just so busy with everything else that finding the time to unwind with our friends seems to take a back burner but it's so necessary!<br />
This weekend we spent hours laughing until our stomachs hurt, re-hashing stories from the good ole days and sharing dreams of what is still to come. <em>Quality girl time is good for the soul and sanity!</em><br />
I realize trips like this will become less frequent as everyone settles down, starts having kids, and continues to grow up so I'm going to enjoy it while I can. <br />
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Years from now we'll be looking back on these days and wishing we could do it again, but we'll be saying<em> <span style="color: #4c1130;">"Ain't nobody got time for dat!"</span> </em><br />
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<em><span style="color: #4c1130;">Thanks Lisa for an awesome weekend! </span></em><br />
<em><span style="color: #4c1130;">Hopefully we'll be back soon!</span></em><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3689022736541513290.post-92073397678192559812012-10-18T14:50:00.001-07:002012-11-01T09:30:03.299-07:00working from homeI bet you didn't know I won the lottery.<br />
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Unfortunately, not the Mega Millions or the Power Ball, but the lottery my company had last year when names were drawn to select employees to work from home four days a week. <br />
<em>Sorry to disappoint!</em> :)<br />
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More and more companies are offering this benefit and I was pretty stoked when mine started piloting a "hoteling" program a few years ago. (Hoteling for us means working four days at home and one day in the office.) There had been a few rounds of selecting folks for participation but time after time I didn't get picked. <br />
I didn't mind too much because my commute wasn't horrible and I was still a little nervous about distancing myself from the corporate office world at a somewhat young age. My reason for applying was strategic in the fact that I know we want to move and the commute will become an issue, simply because I can't imagine being in the car for an hour before I start the work day and at least that on the way home. My road rage will surely set in so it's best for the Pittsburgh parkway commuters.<br />
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I realize working from home isn't for everyone, especially four days a week. <br />
Whenever I tell people that I work from home, I get mixed responses...<br />
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<em>"Oh, must be nice!" <span style="color: #0b5394;">(incinuating I sit around and eat bon-bons all day in a pink fluffy robe)</span></em><br />
<em>"Ugh, I could never do that, I need to be around people" <span style="color: #0b5394;">(really? some days I hate people?!)</span></em><br />
<em>"Do you stay in your pajamas all day?" <span style="color: #0b5394;">(No, but there are days I may not brush my teeth or comb my hair until 5pm, don't judge!)</span></em><br />
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I started my transition to my "home office" last May, so I've been hoteling for just about six months now. At first, saying goodbye to a cubicle that felt like home for many years was pretty tough... <em>(kidding!).</em><br />
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Surprisingly the switch went pretty smooth for me. Being an IT Project Manager for a company that has offices all over the country, I was used to working with people remotely and rarely face to face. When I was in the office I was typically glued to my computer and telephone, always on conference calls and web meetings working together virtually. <br />
The same thing is true at home. <br />
There are still many people that probably don't even know I'm not in the office because it's appeared seamless to them. I feel just as productive, if not more. You'll notice that when you're at home you feel you need to make it a point to follow up with people more timely so they know you are there working and available. My day to day work activities haven't really changed much except sometimes I have a dog laying on my lap. <em>It's really bad when she starts snoring and people ask if I've fallen asleep on the phone!</em><br />
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This opportunity has allowed me to gain hours back to my day by not having to wake up earlier to get ready and commute back and forth. With this extra time I can squeeze in a longer work out or prep for dinner a little earlier, or get things done around the house that I would have previously waited until the weekend to do. <br />
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Some things I have learned while working at home...<br />
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<li><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Move!</span></strong> By putting on my work out clothes first thing in the morning, I am more likely to exercise during lunch or at the end of day. It seemed like one of my biggest excuses after a day at the office was not wanting to get changed again!</li>
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<li><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Don't snack when stressed</span>!</strong> I was never one to hit up the vending machine at the office when times got stressful, but being at home makes the convenience of snacking so much easier. I tried hiding certain foods, limiting to snack size bags and just realized I can't buy it at all. Instead I'm trying to use it as an opportunity to have healthier snacks or lunches that I wouldn't typically pack for myself. </li>
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<li><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Walk away!</span></strong> Having a room where I can close the door and walk away helps me to turn off from work mode. I used to work from a lap top at the kitchen table or the couch and it was very easy to feel like I constantly had to be logged on all the time. </li>
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<li><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Pick up the phone!</span></strong> I make an effort to talk on the phone more with people. Even though I wasn't working with anyone face to face in the office often, I was still hearing the chatter of humans around me. At home it's pretty quiet so I make an effort to pick up the phone to talk to someone for work related stuff when I can rather than email or instant messaging.</li>
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<li><strong><span style="color: #741b47;">Get out more!</span></strong> Getting out of the house does wonders, especially on nights when John has class and I've been by myself all day. I try to make a point of getting together with my girlfriends for dinner, taking Izzy to the park, or even just walking around Marshalls! <em>(which usually results in several unnecessary purchases!) </em>Some social interaction never hurt anyone!</li>
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There are certainly things I miss about the office atmosphere... but the one day a week I have to be there gives me the fix I need and makes me appreciate that I don't have to come back until the following week!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09932212155462439414noreply@blogger.com1