I love reading everyone's weekend recaps on Monday mornings. Maybe it's because I'm nosey. Maybe it's because I live vicariously through all the 'real' bloggers out there LIVIN' THE LIFE. But when it comes to my own weekend recaps I struggle. Sometimes it's because I'm not the world's best writer and finding the right words to get what I want out is tough for me (so WHY am I trying my hand at this whole blogging thing?!) Other times, it's because our weekends are often full of adult things - like errands, cleaning, house projects, etc. And I wonder to myself 'Do people REALLY want to hear about all that stuff?' Other times, we actually have a pretty great, fun, awesome weekend...but I don't have any pictures to prove it #bloggerwanna-beproblems. So even though this whole blogging thing is STILL a struggle for me and often times I write like a 10 year old...I'm still here - trying to do this. So with that being said...since it is Monday morning, I guess I'll try my hand once again to do a weekend recap. Here goes nothin'... Friday after a work out and a quick dinner, the hubs and I headed to Home Depot to pick out a paint color (one of our spare rooms is getting painted tomorrow!) Who knew picking out the right shade of gray would take WELL over an hour? I seriously stood there in the paint section just staring at some options and not knowing what to do. Finally, we chose a color (or so I thought) and went to the counter to purchase it. The lady suggested we get samples of the 2 colors we were comtemplating so we could see them in the room. We decided that was a good idea so we got our samples and headed home. Saturday I got up super early to get my 6 mile run in before it got too hot. Thank goodness I did because the last mile sucked to be honest. I love the sun and warmth but NOT when I'm running. So I was VERY happy to be home and in the cool house shortly after 8am. And it felt dang good to have my work out done that early and have the rest of the day to get things done! We had a list a mile long to accomplish that day so the time was much needed!! The rest of Saturday was spent cleaning, doing laundry, clearing out the spare bedroom, deciding on a paint color, purchasing the paint (along with some paint for the front door...goodbye brick red...hello blue-ish/gray-ish door!) and trying to organize our master bedroom a bit better. It was a long exhausting day...so, of course, we also squeezed in a nap :) Then we got showered up and headed to a baseball game with one of Matt's friends from grad school and his girlfriend. The baseball game took forever (thanks to overtime) but the fireworks afterwards made it totally worth it! I LOVE fireworks and the fact that we'll be able to see them twice in a week makes me a very happy gal! Even though we didn't get to bed until midnight - I was wide awake before 6:30 but was able to lounge in bed for a while before we got up for our June date (going out for breakfast!) We don't eat out often, especially not breakfast, so this was such a nice treat and we really enjoyed the time together <3 After that, we headed home to get ready for my nephew's Baptism. I'm his Godmother so it was a very special day. Here's the little stud dressed in his Baptismal clothes - the same outfit his daddy wore for his Baptism 30 years ago!! So precious <3 And that was basically my weekend in a nutshell. Lookin' forward to only working 4 days this week - hello 3 day weekend!!
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The hubs and I are always on a tight budget. We don't get to just go buy ourselves whatever we want - we don't go out to eat often - we have to save for house projects we'd like to do or big ticket items we need (like a new bed!) But don't go havin' a pity party for us - it's just how things are for us. But that doesn't mean I don't always have a wish list of items going of things I want (I mean doesn't EVERY girl?!?!) So for today, I'm sharing a few random items that are on my summer 2014 wish list - Enjoy :) This dress from Old Navy. It screams SUMMER to me and I want it so very badly!! This tank top from Etsy. Just ONE of the many reasons why I run...and I'm not ashamed to admit that :) A new rug for the master bedroom. We already have one in there so this is definitely a want and not a need. But I love funky, bright rugs and I think a new, more fun, modern one would look great in our bedroom (especially since we're doing a mini makeover in that room this summer!) Maybe I'll find a good deal on one at some point...fingers crossed! A chambray shirt, like this one from Old Navy. It's been on my 'to get list' for forever and I might just need to bite the bullet and order this...SOON!! This decal from Etsy. And it's inexpensive so I'm not sure why I haven't just bought it yet. I know where I want it to go and everything. I just gotta pull the trigger and purchase it... A new pair of Aviator sunglasses. Like NICE ones...not $20 ones from Target (those these ones ARE super cute!) But that's definitely an item I'd never actually splurge on. So cheap ones it is!!
And finally, a couple pairs of new shoes for the summer. I'm thinking a pair of classic nude wedges or heel sandals and a fun pair of sparkly flip flops. Yup - what girl doesn't always have new shoes on her wish list?!? What's on your summer wish list? Hey...remember me. I'm the wanna-be blogger here. I know, I know...a little MIA these past few days. BUT with good reason. You see...one of my best friends and her 3 kids have been visiting from MA. Needless to say, life is busy with your friend in town along with her 5 year old, 3 year old, and 1 year old. A good busy...but busy nonetheless. I won't bore you with all the details...but I'll try to highlight some of what's been going on in my life the last 5 days (which included one heck of a crazy busy weekend and 3 days full of playgrounds, walks, chalk, toys, good eats, and lotsa memory making!) Oh, and not pictured...a spontaneous adventure to our public market last night for the food truck rodeo and live music. Yup - my kinda thing! I LOVE summer!!!
Well, here we are. Sunday evening. Another week of yummy meals ahead of us.
This week is a little different for us. My friend and her 3 kids are visiting us from MA so I had to try to figure out some kid friendly meals for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday!!! So here we go... Monday ~ Ghoulash Tuesday ~ Pizza Wednesday ~ Chicken and couscous skillet Thursday ~ Salad Friday ~ Salmon burger and corn on the cob Saturday ~ Not sure yet Sunday ~ Nephew's baptism Dear Matt,
First and foremost, happy birthday!! You can no longer call me your 'old lady' since we are once again the same age (hope you enjoyed that for all of the 41 days it lasted!) :) I'm not usually one for words but for this occasion I wanted to let you know just how much I love you. I tell you every single day, multiple times a day, that I love you. But I hope you realize I don't say it out of habit. Or because I feel like I have to. I say it because I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You drive me crazy at times. And I'll even yell at you sometimes. And sometimes I might even give you the silent treatment (which you probably secretly love!!! ha-ha) But my love for you never goes away. You are my best friend. My rock. My hope. My strength. My everything. I hope on your birthday, and EVERY day, you know how incredibly loved you are not only by me but everyone in your life. You're an incredible husband. A great friend. Fantastic teacher. Fun and loving uncle. Caring son. And all around good guy. You make me want to be a better person. I love everything about you. You are always putting me first - looking out for me - putting my happiness before your own. You work your cute little butt off day in day out. You're my own personal handyman (and I am FOREVER grateful for all the projects you do as well as helping out around the house with chores, upkeep, etc!) Your dance moves are some of the best I've ever seen and they never fail to make me laugh 'til I cry. And I can't forget about those eyes and that smile that melts my heart day in...day out. You are all around amazing. You're strong. You're positive. You keep me going. You make me smile. And gosh dang it you're the best damn cuddler ever. So now that I've gone and embarrassed you on your birthday, I hope you have an incredible day and furthermore, an awesome year! Cheers to you babe. I love you...like crazy! Love always and forever, your Wifey Just a few thoughts for this Friday... - tomorrow is the hubs' birthday...as well as the first official day of summer...AND the longest day of the year!! I'm READY for it ALL!!!! - we're going strawberry picking tonight and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I love me some fresh strawberries! I'm hoping to get enough to make some homemade jam this week. Growing up we'd go picking and I remember making jam for the family and it's seriously one of the most delicious things EVER! - our roses are finally starting to bloom <3 - we got this letter in the mail this week (please excuse the crappy quality photo.) It's definitely a great feeling...but on the other end, we still have 2 more student loans to pay off. I can't wait for the day to be student loan free!! - our weekend is especially jam packed but the weather is going to be gorgeous and I'm hoping for quite a bit of time outside so I'll take it.
- I was at the gym last night where I saw a commercial for McDonald's strawberry lemonade. Yup, one of those needs to get in ma belly ASAP. What are your random thoughts for this Friday?! Pica...what?! I know, I know. Trust me - I know it's a tad weird. And the first time I came accoss this recipe I had no idea what it was either. But I tried it anyways. And I haven't looked back. It's one of my FAVORITE recipes...like EVER. I'd eat this twice a week...no joke. But if you don't like green olives...you can stop reading now. But for the hubs and I...the more olives the better. So if you're still with me...read on for this delicious Cuban recipe that is quick, easy, healthy, and oh so delicious!
PICADILLO (adapted from recipe from Skinnytaste.com) Ingredients: 1 lb ground turkey (or beef) 1 medium sized onion - diced 1 red bell pepper - diced 1 tbsp (or to your liking) minced garlic a couple dashes or so of dried cilantro (clearly I never measure anything!) 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 cup water 1 jar of pre-sliced green olives with the pimentos (don't drain all the way- you need about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of the liquid to give it even more of that olive taste we LOVE!!) 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp garlic salt with parsley 1 bay leaf salt and fresh pepper, to taste (I like things salty but I rarely add much extra salt - between the olives and garlic salt it's usually plenty salty - even for me!) DIRECTIONS: In a pan, over medium-high heat, brown ground turkey. Drain. Add to your your slow cooker. Add all other ingredients. Stir to mix well. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Discard bay leaf. Serve over brown rice or mashed cauliflower. EAT UP! That's it. Seriously. Super simple. And so freakin' delicious! Spending time with these munchkins....CHECK. Having dinner with the 'rents to celebrate the hubs' birthday and then spending time with family celebrating Father's Day (which also means snuggle time with this little guy)...CHECK. Cleaning. Grocery Shopping. Food Prep...CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.
Now if only weekends were longer.... Here I am again...Sunday and ready to post this week's meals. Definitely nothing new or exciting this week - we have a VERY busy week so all our dinners are super quick and easy.
Monday ~ picadillo over mashed cauliflower Tuesday ~ penne with roasted asparagus and a butter balsamic glaze Wednesday ~ salad Thursday ~ grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and broccoli Friday ~ burger and mixed veggies Saturday ~ won't be home Sunday ~ won't be home Here we are again...Friday. Finally. It's been a long week (I'm pretty sure I say that EVERY Friday...) We've got a pretty good weekend ahead of us and gosh darn it, I'm ready to enjoy it! So let's get to it... ONE ~ When we moved into our house a year and a half ago, one of my biggest stresses were our neighbors. Would we like them? Would they be nice? Would they like us? Well we definitely lucked out (except for the crazy hoarder to the one side of us!) Last night one of our neighbors brought me roses from their garden - how stinkin' cute is that?! TWO ~ Last night we had chicken tacos...or burritos...whatever you wanna call 'em. They were SO good - healthy, filling, and simple. You can't beat that. I did the chicken in the crock pot (2 frozen chicken breasts, sprinkled with some taco seasoning and a little bit of salsa and then shredded once fully cooked) then whatever add-ins you want - we had lettuce, grape tomatoes, salsa, black olives, a little bit of brown rice, and corn. The possibilities are endless and a great way to use up any leftovers you may have. We also used low-carb whole wheat tortillas to wrap everything in. THREE ~ Since Sunday is Father's Day I gotta give a shout out to ALL the awesome dads I know <3 I hope ya'll have a fantastic day!! FOUR ~ Today is Friday the 13th...AND a full moon. Wishing all the teachers out there (including my husband!) a good, drama-free, calm day!! Fingers crossed for ya'll... FIVE ~ On Wednesday two of our favorite shows came back for the season - Graceland and Suits! The hubs and are I pretty psyched about this - if you don't watch I highly recommend both! And that's all for today. Happy Friday and happy weekend!!! <3
I always love my husband. But I don't always like him. Say what?! Hear me out... I love my husband more today than I did the day we got married. And I know for a fact I'll love him more 6 months from now than I do today. Our love is always growing - we're always learning new things about each other - we're always there for each other. But I also know I don't always like him (and I know he doesn't always like me either!!) This may be hard for some people to understand. And maybe I'm way off base. But think about it. I firmly believe you can love someone without liking them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (don't get me wrong - you do have to actually LIKE that person otherwise a marriage just isn't going to work...obviously!) But a marriage is still a type of relationship. And just like friendships or your relationship with your sibling you will always love that person but you might not always like that person. And that's OK. And, in my opinion, this is perfectly normal and healthy in every relationship, especially a marriage.
The hubs and I have had a lot going on recently. I tend to get very overwhelmed and stressed and have the tendency to shut down. And when that happens, I tend not like to him...a lot. He can't say the right thing. He can't do the right thing. And, therefore, I end up disliking him most of the time. And eventually, I'll learn to use my words and we'll get it straightened out. But even when this happens, I always tell him multiple times a day how much I love him. And I still kiss him a ton those days. And I still thank him if he does something like clean up after dinner or fold the laundry. Just because you might not like someone doesn't give you the right to disrespect them - you have to remember why you LOVE that person and why you chose to have that person in your life, whether it's your husband, wife, best friend, etc. So you can't forget to continue to love that person even when things aren't perfect. Because when in life are things ever really PERFECT?!?! So if you don't like your husband or wife at times. That's OK. You're human. But never forget to always love that person...day in...day out. On Saturday, I got to spend most of the day watching my husband do something he loves and ROCKS at (all the while enjoying the gorgeous weather and workin' on my tan!) The hubs participated in the CrossFit Catalyst Games and he did awesome!! CrossFit is something he truly loves and he's quite good at it. I love being able to support him and cheer him on - he's always my #1 fan when it comes to races so to be able to be there for him truly makes me happy. Plus, what's hotter than watching your man do his thang and look so dang good doing it?!?! <3
In a nutshell, all the participants had to do 2 WODs (workout of the day) and 2 skills. After these were completed, the top 50% of each division went on to WOD#3 (weighted sled push!) and then the top half of those half went on to WOD #4 and then the top half of those completed WOD#5. The hubs made it to the 3rd WOD and I couldn't have been more proud!! He did so awesome and I'm so glad I was able to be there for him. I won't bore you with the rest of our weekend (ya know...errands, cleaning, food prep, outside work, painting, organizing, etc, etc, etc) Instead, I'll just share a few pictures I got from the day...(sorry these aren't the greatest of pics - I got as close as I could and tried my best for some good pics!) It's Sunday evening once again so that means I'm here just super quick to post this week's eats. Nothing overly exciting - keepin' it quick, easy, and simple. We are trying a new recipe, though, this week on Thursday (YAY!)
Monday ~ Sloppy Joes made with ground turkey, on an Arnold roll, and corn on the cob Tuesday ~ Spicy shrimp (yes, AGAIN...I want to use up the coconut milk before it goes bad...plus it's just absolutely DELISH) over mashed cauliflower Wednesday ~ Salad Thursday ~ Chicken tacos and mixed veggies Friday ~ Burger and sweet potato fries Saturday ~ out to dinner with my parents to celebrate the hubs' birthday!! Sunday - fend for yourself So here we are again. 5 on Friday. I think next week though I'll link up for Friday Favorites with Amanda but for today I'm sticking with my 5 on Friday... ONE ~ Tomorrow the hubs is participating in the CrossFit Catalyst Games. I'm really looking forward to watching him do his thing and all the other CrossFitters out there - they're legit and are totally inspiring (though I'm sure after watching them all morning I'll be depressed because all I did was run and they're out there doing things like pull-ups and turkish get-ups and all sorts of other things I can't even fathom doing!!!!) Not to mention it's outside so I get to work on my tan too - BONUS! TWO ~ I've already started working on completing my June goals. I started The Heartbreaker by Carly Phillips. I've had this books for YEARS and YEARS and am finally getting around to reading it. I love that I'm making time to read at night even if it's just for 10 minutes. I also plan to clean my car tomorrow and maybe even work on organizing the basement this weekend (but the weather is supposed to be GORGEOUS so I doubt that'll actually happen!!) THREE ~ I mentioned quickly here I had recieved a gift card from The Loft for my birthday and that last weekend I finally used it (the day it expired!) After using the gift card, this shirt only cost me $3!! I'm wearing it today and I'm lovin' it. It's a little big (usually I'm a petite there but this shirt isn't) but it actually works out since it's a comfy shirt anyways. It's lightweight so it's perfect for year round - it'll definitely be my go-to shirt for the summer when it cools down at night and I need something light to wear but it'll also be great for the winter because I can put a long sleeve shirt under it or put a vest over it. FOUR ~ I've had my hair long (for me) for about 3 years now. And I think I'm finally ready for a change. I'm thinkin' something like this: I'd want it a tad longer than this though - just so I can pull it back when I work out and on the weekends. What do you think? Should I go for it?!?
FIVE ~ My co-worker gave me a HUGE bag of Starbursts on Wednesday. Needless to say, my diet the last 3 days has consisted mostly of said candy. But I just can't help myself...they are SO delish!! Happy Friday ya'll!! Well now that we're almost halfway through another year (how is that possible?!) I've decided I'm jumping on the blog world bandwagon and I'm going to start writing monthly goals for myself. It's totally right up my alley so why I haven't started this before I just dunno (maybe because I'm not one of those cool legit bloggers and I feel like all I do is copy the REAL ones ha-ha) But in any case here are my June goals (keepin' it short and sweet for the first month!):
~ Read 1 book...I really want to get back into reading. I know I say this a lot but there's no reason why I can't read for 20 minutes a night instead of stalking Facebook or getting sucked into Pinterest. ~ Clean the inside and outside of my car...the hubs did it for me a couple months ago but I'm clearly a pig and it could use a good vaccuming again. ~ Organize the basement...AGAIN - it seems like I have to do this every few months until I actually figure out a system that works for us! ~ Buy our new bedspread...I'm PRETTY SURE we're getting this one from Bed, Bath, & Beyond. We're having all the trim and chair rail in our bedroom painted white at the very beginning of July so I want to make sure I have the bedspread once the painting is complete so our master bedroom mini-makeover can be done (I also want to do a gallery wall above the hubs' dresser and hopefully find a good deal on a new rug!) What are your goals for June?? This past weekend was perfect weather wise. I mean seriously - sun, a breeze, 75-80 degrees, bright blue skies. It seriously doesn't get any more perfect than this in my opinion. As usual we had a fun but busy weekend - Saturday was jam packed but Sunday we definitely fit in a lil R&R... Friday night after dinner the hubs and I went for a long walk around our neighborhood ending at a quick stop at Wegmans for some ice cream (I was too busy devouring it to take a picture but if you haven't tried Ben & Jerry's new core flavors - you MUST!! We got the salted caramel and it was to die for...I mean SERIOUSLY!) We needed those calories SINCE... Saturday we started our day bright and early and participated in the Stroll for Strong 5k and then also participated in the actual stroll. It was such a great morning to be outside supporting such a fantastic cause and catching up with friends. We did all this for this little girl who was born early and spent the first 12 weeks of her life in the NICU (this was taken at Christmas but she is now a happy, healthy, eats everything, walking everywhere, almost 20 month old little girl!) The rest of Saturday was spent outside doing things around the house (I also went for another 3 mile run to keep my mileage up since I like to get in a 6-7 mile run on the weekend) and getting some sun (the hubs and I both got some color and I LOVE IT!) Our big Saturday night 'out' consisted of a quick stop at The Loft at the mall (I had a coupon they sent me for my birthday that was going to expire and I couldn't possibly let that happen!) and then headed to Sam's Club. Exciting, huh?!?! Sunday was a bit more relaxed (though we did get the house cleaned, talked about our budget, plans, food prepped, planned our menu, grocery shopped, etc, etc.) Just stoppin' by super, duper quick on this gorgeous Sunday evening to post this week's eats!! I hope ya'll had a fantastic weekend...as we say in our house - back to the grind tomorrow :)
Monday ~ grilled boneless pork chops, roasted sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli Tuesday ~ Shrimp Fra Diavolo over mashed cauliflower Wednesday ~ Salad Thursday ~ grilled BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, spinach Friday ~ Breakfast for dinner (going to try a new pancake recipe just not sure which one yet!) Saturday ~ depends on what time the hubs gets home from participating in the CrossFit catalyst games Sunday ~ not sure yet - in case you haven't noticed we rarely plan Sunday dinners...it's usually fend for yourself night or we grab something while grocery shopping or make something quick we already have on hand |
AuthorHey ~ I'm Renée...just your ordinary, 30-something Accountant, new mommy, wife, runner, foodie, & Pinterest addict! Welcome to my newest adventure...stay awhile...look around...and keep comin' back! Archives
January 2018
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